April RAMM Lates - Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery

Come along to our adults only, after-hours night of entertainment exploring otherworldly connections to nature and the environment.

This Lates is inspired by our new, specially curated, exhibition Earth Spells: Witches of the Anthropocene which responds to the climate and ecological crises through the work of eight contemporary artists.

Hear from one of the artists, Lucy Stein, who will be in conversation with Professor Marion Gibson from Exeter University. Marion is a specialist in witchcraft in the South West, whose book Mysticisms, myth and Celtic identity inspired some of Lucy’s work. Marion and Lucy will be joined by RAMM’s contemporary art curator Lara Goodband.

Enjoy lively and toe-tapping music from folk group The Red Dirt Band as well as traditional Dartmoor tunes played by musician Laurie Goodband. The evening will end with our popular silent disco, a chance to dance surrounded by the objects in our collection – an experience not to be missed!

Listen to poetry performances inspired by the Earth Spells exhibition as well as poet Pascale Petit. Pascale is the author of eight collections of poetry, including Tiger Girl and Mama Amazonica and won the Royal Society of Literature’s Ondaatje Prize and the inaugural Laurel Prize. In this short reading, Petit will read from her new collection about Bodmin Moor.

Witness performances around the museum by the South West Dance Hub, commissioned by RAMM to create new work exploring embodied responses to the natural world. This new dance, inspired by the exhibition and Dartmoor, will evoke ‘witchiness’ and mysticism, through movements that echo beating rhythms of the earth.

Create your own charms, and consider the charm’s role in the interaction between humans and the natural world, with Anna Milon from Exeter University. Using a range of materials, both harvested from the local countryside and things such as cloth, ribbons, glass vials and beads you’ll have your own charm to take home.

Transform into a bird with the playful installation Featherheads, a reflective visual art and movement piece which highlights some of our most endangered British birds. Or enjoy time exploring folklore with author and researcher Mark Norman, and objects from the Folklore Library and Archive.

Finally there will the chance to join the Exeter Science Centre and grab a virtual reality headset to enjoy environmental short film We Are Guardians.

Or simply relax and catch-up with friends over a drink or a bite to eat. The museum Café will be open and Bar Nova will be with us to provide all your beverage requirements on the night.

Book your tickets now to be sure not to miss out!