TALKS & LECTURES
All talks take place in the Wetlands Centre AV Theatre. Entry is free with admission to the grounds.
All listings susceptible to change so please ring 020 8409 4400 to be sure.
Saturday 27 May, 2.30-3.30pm
Professor Richard Wiseman – The History and Lore of the Flea Circus
When we think of the flea circus, we imagine a bold troupe of tiny, trained trapeze artists, unicyclists and tightrope walkers – indeed; this is what the creators of these miniature entertainments would have us believe.
The truth, however, is perhaps more marvelous. The flea circus was, and still is, a fine example of illusionary entertainment – an entirely mechanical contraption, often employing real fleas, designed to enter audiences into a benign deception.
Psychologist Richard Wiseman will present an illustrated lecture on the lore and history of the flea circus – and we expect to have a “real” flea circus on hand to complement his presentation
Sunday 28 May, 2.30-3.30pm
Prof. David Rothenberg – Why Do Insects Sing?
Crickets, cicadas, katydids, cecropia moths. They're the original polyrhythmacists, jammers in the dark, trance tuners of the dark soundwaves of night. Music is at the center of their lives, as they sing to find each other, to celebrate the warming of the seasons, their sonic place in the ecology. Science knows the reasons, but not the grooves. Why do insects synchronize across species lines? Why do they produce sounds we can enjoy, which they are sometimes unable to hear themselves?
David Rothenberg, musician and philosopher, author of Why Birds Sing (Penguin, 2005) the book and CD, now turns his ears and his horns to the world of insect music. He will discuss why bugs, unlike birds, listen widely to the sounds of different species and adjust their rhythms accordingly; and how different human cultures have designed their own music upon the inspiration of insects.
Rothenberg will also perform his own music, based on the beats and tones of insects, extracting logic and beauty from the booming, buzzing confusion of a late summer night. The voice of the infinite appears in the small, and you¹ll hear music you never existed, right there in the thicket around you.
See Why Birds Sing
Sunday 28 May 4-5pm
R Beau Lotto: The World Through Their Eyes
Neuroscientist RB Lotto disusses the differences in colour perception between humans and bees. His talk will illustrate the fundamental dependence of the brain on its environment and, in particular, how the bee brain can tell us a lot about how we see/interpret the world. (image Peter Wienerroither)
Monday 29 May, 2.30-3.30pm
Wednesday 31 May, 2.30-3.30pm
Amoret Brandt – Forensic Entomology: Crime-solving insects
A PhD student in Forensic Entomology at the Natural History Museum, Amoret will explain the multiple roles that different types of insects can play in helping to solve crimes. For example blow flies and different types of beetles will make a bee-line to dead bodies, where they will lay their eggs: knowing how long their larvae take to hatch can give crime scene investigators vital clues as to exactly when an incident took place. Sure to be an engrossing, and probably a little gross.
Thursday 1 June, 2.30-3.30pm
Dr. Claire Preston – The Art and Allure of the Bee
Dr. Preston is a Fellow and Lecturer in English at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge and author of Bee from the award winning Reaktion Book series.
Since the earliest times the unique manufacturing and architectural abilities of the bee and its remarkable social organization have been regarded as miraculous. Because of this ancient relationship, bees always carry profound cultural meanings which can tell us much about who we are. Bees are also the subject of an enormous body of legend throughout the temperate world; no less extraordinary is the natural history of the bee, and the ways in which its biological and social organization have been adapted and encouraged by mankind in search of honey.
Claire Preston follows the natural and cultural history of our relationship with the bee and the development of these legends, from ancient political descriptions of the bee to Renaissance debates about monarchy, and the accompanying scientific discoveries about insects, to the modern conversion of the virtuous, civil bee into the dangerous swarm of the Hollywood horror flick.
Come taste the honey – there will be a honey tasting (from around the world) afterwards.
Friday 2 June, 2.30-3.30pm
Laetitia Laine – Responsible Pest Control
The Pestival is a celebration of our invertebrate friends. However, as with all relationships, things can sometimes get strained between us humans and other species, especially when food is involved. Sometimes, when things get really difficult, we do have to be cruel to be kind... Laetitia Lainé is the director of EntoTech Consulting, that specialise in controlling pests in the most environmentally friendly way possible. Here she talks about ways in which we can keep our prized greens pest free with minimal damage to ourselves and our environment.