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Southampton Arts and Humanities Festival, formerly called Human Worlds Festival (2014 - 2020), is the University of Southampton's annual arts- and humanities-based festival organised by the Public Engagement with Research unit. It is a free series of public events, in-person and online, open to all.Ìý

Human Worlds Festival was first launched in 2014, it was renamed in September 2021 and runs every year in November to coincide with , the UK’s national celebration of humanities research led by the at the University of London, in partnership with the and the .

The ten-day celebration usually includes our Arts and Humanities Day (formerly known as Hands-on-Humanities Day), a free family-friendly eventÌýwith interactive hands-on activities, workshops, exhibitions, talks and performances from across our Faculties.

Over the last few years, we haveÌýinvited participation fromÌýexternal exhibitors including local bookstores, radios, schools, community groups, cultural venues, trusts and other research institutions.

Here is a look back on some of our events throughout the years.

Human Worlds Festival 2020

Human Worlds Festival 2020 ran from Thursday 12th to Sunday 22nd November.

Since 2020 will go down in history as a year of profound changes, for the first time the Festival was preceded by a month-long series of celebratory events in October for Black History MonthÌýand was followed by a month of digital celebrations forÌýLGBT+ History MonthÌýin February 2021. Both series wereÌýcurated in collaboration with few other teams across the University, including the Equality, Diversity and InclusionÌýteam , the BAME Network , the and the (SUSU).

Other events that were hosted under the Festival umbrella included a special night on November 3rd for the U.S. Presidential Election (run by History at the University of Southampton and chaired by Dr Christopher Fuller ), a strand of digital events for (run by English at the University of Southampton and led by Carol Burns , Head of Creative Writing) and three on pregnancy, motherhood, and childhood (run by Philosophy at the University of Southampton and chaired by Professor Fiona Woollard ).

The main events of Human Worlds Festival 2020 were:

• Human Worlds Digital , the first digitalÌýedition of Human Worlds Festival, which included featured activities and events, such as:
  • , a series of workshops to explore different ways of examining and practicing ourÌýhumanness;
  • the Writer's Nook, a collection of all writing events,Ìýactivities,Ìýand resources available on the festival'sÌýwebsite;
  • the Mayflower 400 Special, a unique programme of events from partners acrossÌýSouthampton;
  • the Human Worlds Studio, anÌýensembleÌýof tutorials,Ìýinstructions,Ìýand other downloadable resources on how to get inspired,Ìýcreate,Ìýand make at home.
• Hands-on Humanities Day Goes Digital on Saturday 21st November, which included a rich programme of talks and discussions and concluded with a special Writers in Conversation with world renown author Tracy Chevalier. The day was part of the Being Human festival 2020 programme and it is now available to watch on the UoS Festival YouTube channel.

Human Worlds Festival 2019

The 2019 Human Worlds Festival ran from Thursday 14th to Saturday 23rd November.

This year’sÌýedition included Humanities Late ,Ìýa special evening event,Ìýthat saw the and opening to the public outside normal hours on Friday 22 November. The night featuredÌýaÌýtemporary installation by artist andÌýperformer , inspired by the research ofÌýhistorian Professor Christer Petley , a talk byÌýwriter and live performances by composer Dr Drew Crawford andÌýartist . These events took place alongside the main galleryÌýexhibition ' 'ÌýbyÌýinternationally renowned artist and Winchester School ofÌýArt graduate, Haroon Mirza.

TheÌýFestivalÌýconcludedÌýwith Hands-on Humanities Day on Saturday 23 November, which took place for the first time at the John Hansard Gallery, City Eye, Nuffield Southampton Theatres (NST City) and ’s Sir James Matthews building, at the heart of the Southampton Cultural QuarterÌýonÌýAbove Bar Street. The day brought together internal and external exhibitors passionate about theÌýarts andÌýhumanities, including community radioÌýstation FM.

Both Humanities Late and Hands-on Humanities Day were part of the festival 2019 programme.

Wider Festival events included:

• 'Evolution: FromÌýtheÌýGalapagosÌýtoÌýtheÌý21st Century' with Dr NeilÌýGostling (asÌýpart of the Nature and Biodiversity Community Hub pop-up meeting), University of Southampton, HighfieldÌýCampus;
• ' TOXIC! Question Time ',Ìýchaired by Dr Lucy Green , South Academic Block, University of Southampton, Southampton GeneralÌýHospital;
• 'Writing For Wellbeing' with ( ), John HansardÌýGallery;
• 'DetanglingÌýTheÌýKnots': Crochet Workshop withÌýartist , John Hansard Gallery.

Watch the following videos toÌýre-discover one of the amazing performances at Humanities Late, ‘Emotional Resonances’.

Human Worlds Festival 2018

The 2018 Human Worlds Festival ran between Thursday 15th to Saturday 24th November 2018.

This edition saw aÌýweek full of events across the city of Southampton and was concluded by Hands-on Humanities Day on Saturday 17th November at the Avenue Campus , with activities and workshops for all.

Wider Festival events included:

• ‘Dead GoodÌýDays’: Research Café , Café Thrive,ÌýSouthampton;
• ‘American Carnage:ÌýtwoÌýyearsÌýof Trump’,Ìýchaired by Dr ChristopherÌýFuller ,ÌýUniversity of Southampton, AvenueÌýCampus;
• ‘IsÌýthisÌýtheÌýend? DeathÌýpast,ÌýpresentÌýandÌýfuture’,Ìýchaired by Dr Sonia Zakrzewski ,ÌýSouthampton Crematorium,ÌýSouthampton;
• ‘PeopleÌýand Brexit’:ÌýResearch Café, Coffee #1,ÌýPortswood,ÌýSouthampton;
• ' UncertaintyÌýandÌýcomplexityÌýofÌýmigration ' - UniversityÌýof Southampton Public Lecture Series,Ìýwith Professor Jakub Bijak and Jon Simmons (Home Office Analysis and Insight Directorate),ÌýBritish Academy,ÌýLondon;
• ‘Fake Food!’ÌýQuestion Time ,Ìýchaired by Dr Lucy Green , South Academic Block, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital.