Searching for wellness LATE

Professor Claire Langhamer FBA, Professor Richard Whatmore FBA

How has our understanding of happiness changed over time? Discover how different cultures and societies have imagined happiness – from good fortune and virtue to pleasure and prosperity – with our panel of leading historians. Find out what these shifting ideas reveal about our obsessive pursuit of happiness today.

Dr Tom Vickers, Dr Simon Willems, Professor Ying Zhou, and Dr Amelia Horgan (chair)

What really makes a job feel “good”? Discuss how wellbeing fits into work today with our panel of researchers, as they explore what a good working life looks like. They’ll examine the promises and pitfalls of workplace wellness, who has access and who is excluded, and the impact of new technologies.

Anjali Prashar-Savoie, Dr Patria Roman-Velazquez, and Emma Warren (chair)

From nightclubs and salsa bars to markets and bingo halls, explore how the spaces where people gather shape identity, belonging, and collective wellbeing. Drawing on research and activism, delve into the role these spaces play for youth, queer, and migrant communities in London – as sites of joy, refuge, and resistance – and what is at stake as many continue to disappear.

Dr Mark Doidge

Take a journey from the Jungle in Calais to the parks of the UK to discover the role of football plays in providing a sense of normality and fun for the players. Drawing on work with refugees, Dr Mark Doidge will highlight the pleasures of football and its importance to social, physical, and mental wellbeing.

Professor Sasha Handley

The use of different smells to improve sleep-quality is a billion-dollar industry and it has captured the interest of TikTok’s #sleepmaxxers. But this is not just an influencer-driven fad. Explore the long and surprising history of sleep-promoting scents with Professor Sasha Handley. Those hoping to use scents to promote healthy sleep today are part of a rich historical tradition dating back to the early modern period.

Dr Eleonor Ratcliffe

Why do some birds make us happier and calmer, while others stir powerful memories and emotions? Drawing on over a decade of research, Dr Eleonor Ratcliffe explores how birdsong shapes our wellbeing, connects us to others, and deepens our relationship with nature. Following the talk, take part in a guided creative activity and craft your own ‘bird of happiness’ out of recycled materials.

Dr Edgar Rodriguez-Dorans

When someone important in our lives dies, we face a paradox: they can feel more present in our thoughts, yet are absent from our physical world. Drawing on Dr Edgar Rodriguez-Dorans's research into how choreography and movement can support bereavement, learn how we use our bodies to process grief, and how we are moved by, and move with, those we’ve lost.

Explore the contradictions of modern work culture in this exhibition curated by Dr Simon Willems. Through film, photography, and installations that challenge corporate wellness narratives, reflect on what wellbeing in the workplace really means.

Writer and DJ Anjali Prashar-Savoie performs under the moniker Aanjaalii, crafting sets that break free from genre boundaries in favour of movement and dynamism. Expect hypnotic and far-reaching selections, built around rhythm, bounce and seductive tones. Aanjaalii has played at The Warehouse Project, Fabric, Body Movements, and Colour Factory, and is a resident DJ at Sisu, a collective championing women and non-binary DJs.

Dr Katherine Butler

What have we lost now that singing in harmony is not a regular social activity? Experience why rounds and catches were such a popular form of recreation for adults from all walks of life in Tudor England in this interactive workshop. From tongue-twisters and musical jokes, to drinking songs and mimicking urban soundscapes, learn simple songs that bring to life the early modern soundscape and show how singing in harmony can be accessible, bonding, playful, and funny.

All welcome – no singing experience necessary.

Dr Emma Palmer-Cooper

Find out how crafts like crochet and colouring can support wellbeing in this hands-on workshop. Learn simple, fun, and accessible techniques that can be incorporated into your everyday routines, while exploring the research behind why creative activities reduce stress, support mental health, and build resilience.

No experience required.

Discover the extensive art collection and historic architecture of 10-11 Carlton House Terrace on a guided tour with expert British Academy staff or explore the building at your own pace with a self-guided tour.

Please note, the guided tour is limited to 12 people. Sign up on arrival.