Join us for a fascinating conversation with industry experts looking at the relationship between AI, creativity and social ethics.

Founded in 2007 by author and activist Paul Burston, Polari is a multi award-winning LGBTQ+ literary salon. Known for its high energy, thought-provoking performances, Polari is a heady mix of live literature and cabaret, in which the performers happen to be writers.

Described by The Huffington Post as “the most exciting literary moment in London”, the salon also tours regularly, supported by Arts Council England.

Our panel will share their experiences of running successful cultural businesses and the policies and programmes that exist at a West Yorkshire level to support the cultural and creative sector.  For a sector predominantly made up of small and medium sized enterprises, navigating the constraints of consumer spending and the challenges of public funding is difficult and how we are able support more of these business to succeed is important both economically and culturally. 

Join us at the charming setting of the Old Woollen for a fantastic evening with TV Presenter and judge of the BAFTA-nominated BBC series, The Great British Sewing Bee, Patrick Grant. Patrick will be in conversation with William Gaunt about his career which spans almost two decades in the fashion industry.

Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to hear the talented Patrick Grant and get a signed copy of his new book ‘The Savile Row Suit.’

Since 2019, Dutch / German choreographer Katja Heitmann has been growing her Motus Mori archive, collecting everyday human movement that form the basis for new artworks.

Her latest work, CORPUS, was shown in Leeds Art Gallery in December 2023 in collaboration with Yorkshire Dance.

Stolen documents the Mother and Baby Homes scandal that ricocheted around the world and sparked a government inquiry into the fate of unmarried women who fell pregnant in 20th century Ireland. 

Award-winning photographer and filmmaker Richard Billingham joins us for a special Q&A screening of his acclaimed 2018 drama - presented in partnership with Village and MACK on the occasion of the publication of Ray’s a Laugh (2024).

As part of an arts project funded by Leeds Inspired this event invites individuals who have identified as neurodivergent in adulthood (with or without formal diagnosis) to take part in a reflective discussion as part of a small group. We will talk about our individual lived experiences of masking, and how it feels to unpick this in adulthood, while engaging in a simple creative task of making uncomplicated folded paper structures.

As part of an arts project funded by Leeds Inspired this event invites individuals who have identified as neurodivergent in adulthood (with or without formal diagnosis) to take part in a reflective discussion as part of a small group. We will talk about our individual lived experiences of masking, and how it feels to unpick this in adulthood, while engaging in a simple creative task of making uncomplicated folded paper structures.

Each year of the decade is represented by a piece of popular music. 

Themes from the songs are enlarged upon, so by the end of the talk, subjects covered include fashions back then, the Cold War, Vietnam, flower power, the space race – and more! 

A light-hearted and nostalgic look back at a decade many remember fondly!