With the theme for this year’s Being Human Festival, Between the Lines, having been announced, we are taking the time to showcase some highlights from last year’s event. This extended across Devon and Cornwall and was supported by a range of academic and community contributors committed to celebrating the humanities.
Being Human Festival is a national celebration of arts and humanities, led by the University of London, but in association with Higher Education institutions across the UK. The festival demonstrates the importance of humanities research in our everyday lives, and connects with leading academics to bring their work to the wider public.
In November 2024, the University of Exeter contributed to a series of local events, working with departments across the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, as well as local partners. Many of these activities were based in Exeter, including ‘Historic Exeter From the Air’, a collaboration between the University’s Archaeology and History Department, Digital Humanities Lab, and Devon County Council’s Historic Environment Office. This was accompanied by the workshop ‘Projecting the Past: Remaking Local Landmarks’, hosted at nearby studio space, Positive Lights, and using collections from the University’s Bill Douglas Cinema Museum. Both these activities built on a previous event hosted at the nearby Stoke Hill Junior School, each using cutting-edge digital technologies to engage with local history in an exciting and innovative way.
At both Exeter Quay and in Bodmin, Cornwall, Nephew Spike Bones hosted a modern spin on a traditional Punch and Judy Show as part of a project in conjunction with the University’s Department of Drama. Meanwhile, Kresen Kernow in Redruth offered attendees the opportunity to explore Black Cornish history in collaboration with Black Voices Cornwall, Museum X, and the Cornwall Museums Partnership.
Each of these events attracted visitors of all ages, and were a particular hit with local schoolchildren. One student even declared: “I am SO going to this uni to learn and become an archaeologist! This is the coolest job in the world!”, while many other visitors shared their enthusiasm for the festival’s fresh historical perspectives. We look forward to supporting the continuation of the Being Human Festival later this year, and celebrating the wide-ranging work of our humanities researchers.
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More information on the Being Human Festival can be found on their website.
Applications for the Being Human Festival funded pathways are now open, closing on 5pm, Thursday 10th April 2025. If you plan on applying, please let Dreolin Fleischer know, at per@exeter.ac.uk.