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Theme: Arts and Society: Order, Chaos and Culture

From the creation of storytelling to help us understand the chaos of the world, to the apparent order of Mondrian’s paintings, the Arts and Society events explore the artistic expression of order and chaos and how this has shaped our world.

What's on

Fri
20
Jun

‘Electrick communication everywhere’: Order and chaos in the arts and sciences II

Spectacular displays of electrical phenomena were part of the showmanship of itinerant scientific lecturers from 1745 to 1830; find out more in this lecture by Mary Fairclough.

Thu
19
Jun

Writing the living, writing the dead

Patrick French discusses the art of literary biography, and shows how VS Naipaul, born in rural poverty in colonial Trinidad, turned himself into a key figure in contemporary world literature.

Wed
18
Jun

Two Girls, One on Each Knee

Everything you would like to know about the cryptic crossword from expert, Alan Connor; discover the history of crosswords as well as handy hints for completing them!

Tue
17
Jun

In the Beginning and What Came After

Join storytellers Alice Courvoisier and Cath Heinemeyer, and musicians Tamasin and Ian Graham, for tales from (among others) ancient civilisations, dark English boglands and science fiction

Tue
17
Jun

‘Electrick communication everywhere’: Order and chaos in the arts and sciences I

Join Jon Mee as he looks at the networks of writers, experimenters, and lecturers whose collaborations and disagreements helped bring about a revolution of ideas across the north from 1760 to 1830.

Mon
16
Jun

Art Under Attack: Histories of British iconoclasm

Join Tabitha Barber and Stacy Boldrick, co-curators of the recent Iconoclasm exhibition at Tate Britain, as they explore the history of iconoclasm in Britain.

Mon
16
Jun

Mondrian: A different kind of order

Is Mondrian’s art the epitome of order? Join art-historian, Michael White, co-curator of the Tate Liverpool exhibition Mondrian and his Studios to find out more.

Mon
16
Jun

James Joyce: Ulysses, order and chaos

A celebration of Joyce’s masterpiece, Ulysses, by Dr Dan Mulhall, Irish Ambassador to Britain.

Mon
16
Jun

Penelope Fitzgerald: The whole story?

Renowned author, Professor Dame Hermione Lee, will explore the life and works of author Penelope Fitzgerald

Fri
13
Jun

Seeing Order in Chaos: Randomness and chance in art

In this illustrated talk, artist and maths professor Malcolm Ludvigsen will explore the random and chaotic element in art from the point of view of both a scientist and a painter

Fri
13
Jun

The Rest Just Follows - CANCELLED

The intertwined lives of three Belfast teenagers as they grow into adulthood is the theme of this novel by Glenn Patterson.

Throughout the Festival

Order and Chaos at Aldborough Roman Site

Saturdays and Sundays, 10.00am to 6.00pm

Built by the Romans to bring order to the Brigantes tribe in the North of England, the remains of Isurium Brigantum can still be seen today beneath the village of Aldborough

Order and Chaos at Clifford's Tower

Daily, 10.00am to 6.00pm

Built as part of a plan to impose order on the North, Clifford’s Tower has since had a chaotic history; visit to the Tower to find out more about its history

Order and Chaos at Kirkham Priory

Wednesdays to Sundays, 10.00am to 6.00pm

Nestling in tranquil countryside alongside the river Derwent, the picturesque ruins of Kirkham Priory still evoke the peaceful order of its Augustinian founders

Order and Chaos at York Cold War Bunker

  • Friday 13 to Sunday 15 June, 10.00am to 6.00pm
  • Friday 20 to Sunday 22 June, 10.00am to 6.00pm

 Visit York Cold War Bunker, built in 1961 in response to the Soviet threat, and experience the grimly ordered filtered air, 'hot bedding' and sewage ejectors and ask 'would it have worked?'.