Leeds Town Hall

Behind the LionsTalks, Tours & Exhibitions

September 2015 - July 2016

Cultural Talks

Wednesday 9 September LCC12.30 – 1.30pmHenry Moore Lecture Theatre, Leeds Art Gallery

What is the European Capital of Culture and what it can do for a City with Professor Franco BianchiniThe European Capital of Culture has been much in the news following Leeds City Council’s decision to bid for the title for 2023. This talk will provide a brief history of the European Capital of Culture and discuss its aims.

Thursday 24 September LT1.00 – 2.00pmLeeds Central Library Public Art on Campus with Professor Ann SumnerPublic Art has played a key role on the University of Leeds campus for many years, from the controversial Eric Gill First World War Memorial Christ driving the Moneychangers from the Temple dedicated in 1923, to Simon Fujiwara’s A Spire unveiled in June.

Wednesday 7 October LCC12.30 – 1.30pmThoresby Room, Leeds City Museum

It’s not all Sequins and Bikinis? Power, Performance and Play in the Leeds and Trinidad Carnival with Dr Emily MarshallAsking to what extent contemporary Caribbean carnival practices in Leeds and Trinidad continue to provide a challenge to officialdom – or do they, paradoxically, reinstate the rules? Friday 16 October LT1.00 – 2.00pmLeeds Town Hall

Menasseh Ben Israel: Political activism and religious tolerance at the time of the Cromwellian Revolution with Eva FrojmovicBorn in 1604, Menasseh Ben Israel bridged the Jewish and the Christian worlds: he was a rabbi, a scholar and a publisher, authoring and printing works in Latin, Portuguese, Spanish and Hebrew, collaborating with Rembrandt, who etched his portrait.

Dr Emily Marshall, Centre for Culture & the Arts

at Leeds Beckett University

Join us for a series of free cultural talks; Lunchtime Talks, Leeds Cultural Conversations and the Royal Armouries series.

Lunchtime Talks (LT) are brought to you in partnership with Leeds University’s Brotherton Library and Leeds Central Library, delivered by researchers and staff who work with their collections.

The Leeds Cultural Conversations (LCC) are a series of monthly talks programmed by the Centre for Culture & the Arts at Leeds Beckett University. This series is supported by Palgrave Macmillan.

The Royal Armouries series (RAs) includes two talks given by two of the Senior Curators from the Royal Armouries which will coincide with their new displays of the Battle of Waterloo and the Easter Tournament of jousting.

All talks are free and can be booked via EventbritePlease see specific talks for details on time and location.

For information please call 0113 247 6419 or

email arts@leeds.gov.uk

Centre for Culture & the Arts at Leeds Beckett University

LT RAs

LCC

To book tickets for Leeds Cultural Conversations

visit: www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/lcc/

To book tickets for Lunchtime Talks and

Royal Armouries series visit: http://tinyurl.com/lunchtime-talks

Thursday 5 November LT1.00 – 2.00pmLeeds Central Library Editing Elizabeth Gaskell: Sylvia’s Lovers, from manuscript to printed novel with Dr Shirley FosterNovember 2015 marks the 150th anniversary of the death of author, biographer, humanitarian and campaigner, Elizabeth Gaskell. Join us to explore the Brotherton Collection’s Gaskell manuscripts.

Wednesday 11 November LCC12.30 – 1.30pmLeeds Town Hall

Retaking the Commons: Culture, Politics, and the Public Realm with Dr Andrew Lawson and Dr Katy ShawThis session will discuss how the left can find new ways of challenging the neoliberal discourse of “public bad/private good”, and ask how literary and cultural texts can reframe ideas of collective agency and the common good. Tuesday 24 November RAs1.00 – 2.00pmLeeds Town Hall

Battle of Waterloo with Senior Curator Mark Murray FlutterThis talk will examine the battle, and the weapons used, as well as highlighting some of the artworks

which brought the events to life for the general public before the era of photography and moving pictures. Wednesday 9 December LCC12.30 – 1.30pmLeeds Town Hall

Doing Urban History in an Urban World with Dr Shane EwenUrban history provides a combination of traditional and innovative approaches and ideas for researching the history of an urban place and its position in the wider world. This talk will introduce and explore some of these through a series of examples. Thursday 10 December LT1.00 – 2.00pmLeeds Town Hall

Feast & Famine: Medieval Food in Season with Lecturer Iona McCleeryA look at the cycle of the seasons using evidence from the Brotherton Collection of illuminated manuscripts for plants and animals eaten during the Middle Ages. 2016

Wednesday 13 January LCC12.30 – 1.30pmLeeds Town Hall

The Real Fagin? The Life and Crimes of William Sheen with Dr Heather ShoreThis talk will explore Sheen’s criminal career, as well as considering how the life of Sheen may have influenced the young Charles Dickens, the talk will also consider the impact of Sheen’s activities on his neighbours and community in the mean streets of Victorian east London. Thursday 14 January LT1.00 – 2.00pmLeeds Central Library

Leeds Socialist History: the Alf Mattison Collection with Professor Malcolm ChaseAn insight into Alfred Mattison, a remarkable man of Leeds. His career progressed through engineering to a clerical post in Leeds’ tramways department. A founder member of the Independent Labour Party, Alf knew many of the great socialist figures of his age. Friday 5 February LT1.00 – 2.00pmLeeds Town Hall

The Experience of Resistance: Conscientious Objectors to the First World WarCome along to hear about the wartime experiences of these men and their supporters and gain insight into some of the First World War’s lesser known stories. Wednesday 10 February LCC12.30 – 1.30pmLeeds Town Hall

Pride of Place: LGBTQ Histories and Heritage with Professor Alison OramThis talk will discuss some well-known heritage sites such as Charleston (Sussex) and Plas Newydd (Llangollen), and a new web-based project initiated by Historic England and led by the Centre for Culture and the Arts at Leeds Beckett to promote knowledge of LGBTQ heritage. Wednesday 2 March RAs1.00 – 2.00pmLeeds Town Hall

The Tournament with Senior Curator Karen WattsOriginally a means of training for war the tournament became a spectacular spectator sport and an opportunity for competitors to show off their expensive and often strange armours. Explore the world of the fashionable medieval knight.

Gaskell manuscripts, Leeds University Brotherton collection

Friday 4 March LT1.00 – 2.00pmLeeds Central Library

Visiting Venice: from pilgrims to pleasure-seekers with Dr Alex BamjiVenice has captivated the imagination of its many visitors for centuries. This talk will explore what drew visitors to the city, from fifteenth-century monks on their way to the Holy Land, to eighteenth-century Grand Tourists searching for culture, casinos and carnival. Wednesday 9 March LCC12.30 – 1.30pmLeeds Town Hall

Women, Visibility and Playful Acts with F= members Dr Liz Stirling, Dr Casey Orr, Jo Hassall, Laura RobinsonA talk / performance following the public celebration of International Women’s Day on 8 March 2016

as part of the Festival of The Body organised by F= and based at Central Library Artspace from 29 February to 31 March 2016. Wednesday 13 April LCC12.30 – 1.30pmLeeds City Museum Cooking without a Clock: Women, Domesticity and Timekeeping in Nineteenth Century Europe with Dr Rachel RichThis talk will consider what time meant to men and women in the nineteenth century, looking in particular at how time was written about in diaries and published books. Thursday 14 April LT1.00 – 2.00pmLeeds Central Library

The Heart, The Border: poetry and exchange with Helen MortThis talk will discuss movement

and borders as themes in Ken Smith’s (1938-2003) work and explore the challenges and rewards inherent in trying to respond creatively to the work of another poet. Wednesday 11 May LCC12.30 – 1.30pmCourt Room, Leeds Town Hall

Eastern European ‘Show Trials’ of the 1950s: the Slansky Case with Dr Kelly HignettNew evidence and insights from previously closed archives about the Slansky trial, one of the best-known political show trials in 1950s Czechoslovakia, have recently become available. This talk will discuss how knowledge and understanding of the Slansky trial evolved as a result. This event will include a dramatisation.

Lunchtime Organ Series Leeds International Concert Season’s popular Lunchtime Organ Series takes place most Mondays from mid-September to April at Leeds Town Hall.

During the 2015/16 season as well as our regular organists there are a number of vocal and instrumental guests making their debut performances in the series: King’s College organ scholar Richard Gowers (28 Sep), harpist Angelina Warburton (5 Oct), New York City organist Jason Roberts (26 Oct), actor Nathan Beguin (16 Nov), Organist to the United Grand Lodge of England Paul Bowen (14 March) and Principal Cello for Orchestra of Opera North Jessica Burroughs (4 April).

Other regular guests whose performances are warmly anticipated by our audience each year include the University of Huddersfield Brass Band (Tues 15 Dec), the Choirs of Leeds Minster, Leeds Cathedral and the Catholic Diocese of Leeds, and St Peter’s Singers with the National Festival Orchestra (15 Feb).

View inside Victoria Hall, Leeds Town Hall

Admission is free and tickets are not required

Each recital starts at 1.05pm and lasts approx. 55mins

www.leedsconcertseason.com / 0113 247 8336 to request a leaflet

ExhibitionsArts Development organises a range of temporary exhibitions within the Town Hall, including programming the Staircase Gallery and Reception Gallery spaces.

Celebrating Leeds International Piano Competition June 2015 - September 2015This exhibition looks at the history of the competition, including photographs of past winners and events. The 2015 competition will be hosted across Leeds and at Leeds Town Hall in August & September. Being ThereOctober 2015 - December 2015Showcasing exceptional photographs from Leeds College of Art BA Photography students, this exhibition links in to Un Fold, the Leeds Programme for the British Art Show 8 which opens at Leeds Art Gallery in October. My Leeds in Focus January 2016 - March 2016An exciting photography exhibition showcasing the images and stories of the amazing buildings, places, people and activities that define our city. Curated by Leeds Community Foundation, a charity dedicated to bringing about positive change in local communities, the exhibition includes a collection of shortlisted entries from their My Leeds in Focus photography competition. 30 Years of Theatre Company Blah Blah Blah – exploring stories since 1985 April 2016 - June 2016Theatre Company Blah Blah Blah are a dynamic participatory theatre and drama group, providing rewarding experiences for children and young people and facilitating enquiry into fundamental philosophical questions. This exhibition is a showcase of their work in celebration of their 30th Anniversary year. 10 years of LGBT Pride in Leeds July 2016 - September 2016This exhibition on show from July will celebrate the last 10 years of Leeds LGBT Pride, showcasing the history of what has evolved to become one of Leeds’ biggest free city centre events, attracting people from throughout the UK.

Pride 2015, Leeds LGBT Pride

Image by: Helen Maycock, My Leeds in Focus exhibition

BATTLEFIELD, Theatre Company Blah Blah Blah

The gallery spaces are open to the public Monday to Saturday

9.30am until 4.30pmPlease see the Town Hall

website for further details on exhibition launch dates.

www.leedstownhall.co.uk/

The Arts Development Team is part of Leeds City Council’s Arts, Venues & Events service within City Development. http://tinyurl.com/artsdevelopment @Leedsarts arts@leeds.gov.uk

The Town Hall has a full What’s On brochure of concerts, events and activity available. Please contact: music@leeds.gov.uk for further details.

Leeds Town Hall Tours Town Hall Tours take place on the last Saturday and Monday of each month, you can see the amazing heritage of Victoria Hall, the old courtroom, prison cells and the view across the city from the top of the Clock Tower.

Leeds Town Hall clock

Tickets: £4.50Box Office: 0113 224 3801 We also offer private tours for

groups at a date/time to suit you, great for corporate visits, heritage groups, youth groups and parties.

Tours are £115 and can take up to 25 people. For more information:

0113 247 6419

Please note: for those unable to ascend the clock tower stairs an audio-visual presentation will be

available if requested in advance. Access to the clock tower and

outside the clock tower is subject to weather conditions, if the

weather is particularly bad we retain the right to remove this part

of the tour for safety reasons.

2015 SeptemberSaturday 26: 10.30am Monday 28: 2.30pm

OctoberMonday 26: 2.30pm Saturday 31: 10.30am

November Saturday 28: 10.30am Monday 30: 2.30pm

December Christmas Lights evening tours - Wednesday 2, Wednesday 9, Wednesday 16: all at 4.30pm

2016January Monday 25: 2.30pm Saturday 30: 10.30am

February Saturday 27: 10.30am Monday 29: 2.30pm

MarchSaturday 26: 10.30am (no Monday tour due to Bank Holiday)

April Monday 25: 2.30pm Saturday 30: 10.30am

May Saturday 28: 10.30am (no Monday tour due to Bank Holiday)

June Saturday 25: 10.30am Monday 27: 2.30pm

July Monday 25: 2.30pm Saturday 30: 10.30am

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