Name: Space Psychology
Location: Wellcome Collection

Join us for a quick cup of coffee and a pastry, afternoon tea, or a light meal with a glass of wine.

https://prismic-io.s3.amazonaws.com/wellcomecollection%2F767a5fc5-7095-4772-a22b-275b38e4bd4d_cafe.png

Café

Gallery tour

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/7657f9e9-0733-444d-b1b2-6ae0bafa0ff9_c7c94c39161dcfe15d9abd8b40256ea2b40f52b9_c0139861.jpg

Daily Guided Tours and Discussions

Come and browse a selection of our quirky gifts and books.

https://prismic-io.s3.amazonaws.com/wellcomecollection%2Fb9feb700-cb89-47cc-be19-75b37adc2061_shop.png

Shop

Enjoy delicious lunches, drinks and afternoon tea on level 2.

https://prismic-io.s3.amazonaws.com/wellcomecollection%2Fc2475694-73e3-4309-ba6d-100a25fe6864_restaurant.png

Restaurant

Find out how paranormal phenomena can be explained by psychology with Professor Christopher French, an expert in paranormal experiences, cognition and emotion. You’ll discover how cognitive biases affect perception, memory, and reasoning, but also are a fundamental part of what it means to be human. 

<p>A performance taking place as part of an exhibition, live in the gallery space.</p>

In-Gallery Performance

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/af501e16096aef655d710b7be4277af1b892f7d3_tf_190514_3980066.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/e4cab0b1efe1bfe0de06e1be420457a2ee979e7f_tf_190514_3980066.jpg

Live performance event at Wellcome Collection

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/58c9ac7b319ddcf7cc69354a636f81114dff0cca_tf_190514_3980066.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/08ee62587004c4f6db8bb3da1fcbe54d70d29d86_tf_190514_3980066.jpg

We’ll be in Gallery 1. When you enter Wellcome Collection, it’s on the left on level 0.    

Gallery 1

Spaces are limited and we recommend arriving early as these events are particularly likely to be busy. If we’re full, we will ask you to queue outside the gallery to avoid overcrowding in the exhibition space. Only people in the exhibition space will be able to attend the event. If queuing is not accessible for you, please speak to a member of staff. If you have any access requests or requirements, email us at access@wellcomecollection.org or call 020 7611 2222.

Queuing likely

Find out how paranormal phenomena can be explained by psychology with Professor Christopher French, an expert in paranormal experiences, cognition and emotion. You’ll discover how cognitive biases affect perception, memory, and reasoning, but also are a fundamental part of what it means to be human.

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/30d3fdf2fbce50d5b49afd450e2e6259aefbbf24_sdp_20190410_0173.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/443e4f17b8e3291653f087102e315b36a2415be6_sdp_20190410_0173.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/0c948024db4966dccf2169d95d0b5d4ebe8c0259_sdp_20190410_0173.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/c9b598fcf309f45c62f7d63590ff6f15e2a48984_sdp_20190410_0173.jpg

Smoke and Mirrors magic show by Will Houstoun

Experience magic in the Smoke and Mirrors gallery with live performances exploring perception, deception and the ‘supernatural’.

Smoke and Mirrors Live Performances

Performance by Professor Christopher French

Join engineer, neuroscientist and magician Dr Hugo Caffaratti to discover what the concepts and methods of the art of magic can tell us about our brains. You will see how our expectations shape our perceptions, and the way that our minds works mean that ‘seeing is believing’.

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/335f62d896cc7375bb14e3c34a5e5e3e2d221fbd_tf_190514_3980124.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/3e436238d71bd258abbfdb41c8da1f68fe925495_tf_190514_3980124.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/e15161e72e2c2fc34e625aaafad3d6e69c67a92f_tf_190514_3980124.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/e4ee56330feb6968d7cb185828e2df03a0bd9aaf_tf_190514_3980124.jpg

Performance by Dr Hugo Caffaratti

Come and be amazed by budding new magicians from the RawMinds Summer Project. You’ll be dazzled as young people perform tricks and explain the psychology behind the magic.

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/1c17683f1f6db68e54f464d7f3f928bbf74cb1ce_tf_190521_0010575.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/86d68edbac8e3495c37a6d5feb7125aca7c61007_tf_190521_0010575.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/d5ccb5386b4b34beb0938892629aa14ba754f588_tf_190521_0010575.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/ae9dc93b61a70983742d57ca5995cfae4a4e8de7_tf_190521_0010575.jpg

Performance by RawMinds

Take a 30-minute informal guided tour of the Library shelves with one of the library team. You’ll hear about the unusual and surprising contents, the ‘treasures’ and how it all works. You can meet your guide beside the Library entrance on Level 2. 

Danny is the Library Engagement Officer at Wellcome Collection.

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/dc13b8e1a9917745a65374d17c10e49e40a150a2_danny-an-books.jpeg

Danny Rees

Guide

Walking tour

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/9a744aa81847e1f52ba45f5c289cd8fd2fa5a7da_btg150514102918.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/1a98c1e92c1c0803c71d5670271cb60b6e6b3a94_btg150514102918.jpg

Wellcome Collection Library open access shelves upstairs in the Reading Room

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/7471ca12088bd4a66315ad8f93eb4b1f022ba3d8_btg150514102918.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/ce08ce1345d3e3e72791675f5e0902316286b0d1_btg150514102918.jpg

The entrance to the Library is on level 2, which you can reach using stairs or a lift. The Library spans levels 2 and 3.

Library

Just turn up to this event. There's usually room for everyone.

Drop in at any time

Join an informal tour of our library with an expert from the library team as your guide.

Library Tour

From prescribing individual treatments for strokes to optimising the scheduling of hospital appointments, artificial intelligence could revolutionise healthcare. Come and hear neurologist Parashkev Nachev discuss his work using supercomputers to bring a more humanised approach to medicine.

Dr Parashkev Nachev is a Professor of Neurology at the UCL Institute of Neurology, and Honorary Consultant Neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. He was recently awarded a Wellcome Trust-funded translational research project to develop a clinical system using machine learning to identify anomalies in the brain, including strokes and multiple sclerosis, in order to better predict patient outcomes.

https://prismic-io.s3.amazonaws.com/wellcomecollection%2F021d6105-3308-4210-8f65-d207e04c2cb2_contributor_default%402x.png

Parashkev Nachev

Researcher

Discussion

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/f503752b09c065f19faca3d4f9c8238ef45371eb_ep_000629_003.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/cf3a67bd2a4aee34132f83c1f3d50636b01d1c42_ep_000629_003.jpg

Packed Lunch discussion in the Forum

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/a6d7439f65afce6f3ac5a29035f6fe8a2cf7ff99_ep_000629_003.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/d2156f41bf3b48df823b243e8c8affa38e4a5836_ep_000629_003.jpg

This event will have British Sign Language interpretation. If you would like to come along, email us at access@wellcomecollection.org or call 020 7611 2222.

This event is in British Sign Language. For any assistance, please email us at access@wellcomecollection.org or call 020 7611 2222.

British Sign Language

We’ll be in the Reading Room on level 2. You can walk up the spiral staircase to the Reading Room door, or take the lift up and then head left from the Library Desk.

Reading Room

Spaces are first come, first served and may run out if we are busy so you may wish to arrive early. If you have any access requests or requirements, email us at access@wellcomecollection.org or call 020 7611 2222.

Limited spaces available

Come and hear neurologist Parashkev Nachev discuss his work using supercomputers to bring a more individualised approach to medicine.

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/cc84504a809555708fa1c598111fcb3c173aff15_tf_180307_1390142.jpeg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/56e88df16ce1a2d6577dbcc9811b9504b65ae6d1_tf_180307_1390142.jpeg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/bf5c81d1f4e3c9f0fa5a338843a53988f61ec524_tf_180307_1390142.jpeg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/1d8e657fc7d90f67cac58edfbdd3b52e8a648ba0_tf_180307_1390142.jpeg

Packed Lunch event in the Forum

At every Packed Lunch, you’ll get an opportunity to hear from a local scientist in conversation with a Wellcome facilitator about their current research. We then invite you to ask your own questions and share your thoughts. Sit back and listen or contribute – it’s up to you.

Packed Lunch

Humanising Medicine

Why does the legend and myth of Houdini still resonate 93 years after he completed the ultimate escape? In this talk we will look at Houdini’s life and career and how his impact is still felt on magic today.

Mark is a professional actor with credits including the West End, National Theatre and The Old Vic. He will be appearing in the new Julian Fellowes drama ‘Belgravia’ on ITV. His interest in Houdini began aged 17 after reading a book called ‘Death and the Magician’ and today and he is an apprentice member of the Magic Circle. He has worked for Wellcome Collection as a casual Visitor Services assistant since 2012.

Mark Rose

Performer

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/0d42292fa66f9c93dd493397af1584edca61687c_tf_190509_3970422.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/d877b0d5c823f1f4ffa893709bd9454b15d57018_tf_190509_3970422.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/23adc925e247c77e17104023be4ad9831ee339e2_tf_190509_3970422.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/b9b3a0d15a966081aa3455c43715aa3ee5adf2c1_tf_190509_3970422.jpg

Why does the legend and myth of Houdini still resonate 93 years after he completed the ultimate escape? In this talk you will hear about Houdini’s life and career and how his impact is still felt on magic today.

Performance by Mark Rose

See printed masterpieces of anatomical illustration and hear about the bringing together of artistic technique with anatomical science. Featuring historical highlights from Wellcome Collection and insights from anatomy lecturer Jennifer Paxton, this talk will explore how the long tradition of anatomical illustration continues to this day.

This event is inspired by ‘Anatomicum‘ by Jennifer Paxton.

Jennifer Z Paxton is Lecturer in Anatomy at the University of Edinburgh and Principal Investigator of the Paxton Lab, a tissue engineering laboratory. Jennifer has won the Wellcome Trust 'I'm a Scientist' competition twice (2013, 2018). She loves bringing the science of anatomy to a wider audience and working with primary schools to engage more children with the subject.

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/0a4b95f0ea6815ff3e590a4e4b19a390013e1b4c_jennifer-paxton.jpg

Jennifer Paxton

Speaker

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/e5d63bbca89769ecd8ca622365fa0cec2ab56454_ep_000277_039.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/1ccbbfbb5060c7a2c60fa13b4a7a69cd8b20382f_ep_000277_039.jpg

Library Insights event at Wellcome Collection

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/39066be72e77ae4a9ca513d2641b87be6cdcfe21_ep_000277_039.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/affad5950cbe93c8f94d0b7b45d927e67c2b6314_ep_000277_039.jpg

We’ll be in the Viewing Room. It’s next to the Library entrance on level 2, which you can reach by taking the lift or the stairs.

Viewing Room

Booking a ticket for a free event does not guarantee a place on the day. Doors usually open 15 minutes before an event starts and we advise arriving before the scheduled start time to claim a place. We hold some spaces for people with access requirements. If you have any access requests or requirements, email us at access@wellcomecollection.org or call 020 7611 2222.

First come, first served

See printed masterpieces of anatomical illustration and hear about the bringing together of artistic technique with anatomical science.

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/18eb8cec966dd02e7c01920a80fa82e4a926d0e6_c0136121.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/a53bee69998cd8775deff549be90aed30123b841_c0136121.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/a528c54eca98dab0fcf78bcd063c7362f9d17c57_c0136121.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/49d5cec76b66c211b158c8da78b887a84fc1e85f_c0136121.jpg

Insights sessions give you an introductory taste of what our Library can offer you as a browser, explorer or researcher, while showcasing rare items.

Library Insights

The Body in Pictures

14 to 19-year-olds

Discover the tricks of illusion used by set designers in magic and theatre, from scene painting to model making, props and digital tricks. 

In the earlier session use these creative techniques to build the story of an abandoned house and create your own scenic element for the model.

In the later session, discover the role of set design in staging magic, and think like a set designer to reimagine a famous trick.

Emeline Beroud is an artist and theatre designer based in London. Her artwork delves into the human condition and the imagination, and she has exhibited in group shows in London and Edinburgh. She is currently a member of the National Youth Theatre.

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/dff37e5f4d709b17fa666bef9b0d20555a290918_img_20190806_135640.jpg

Emeline Beroud

Facilitator

Workshop

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/563c48058d7d2e6af5751fc9b6e46d9fce2d2187_ep_000266_046.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/98a76a4060b2e72f55c0a20b271e2be5989ae83e_ep_000266_046.jpg

Saturday Studio workshop

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/b24d8a10bde713ecd2d3d050341be9532fb55cd8_ep_000266_046.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/d83bcd4a89a4e8f47833c97b5435543b4288101c_ep_000266_046.jpg

We’ll be in the Studio on level 1. When you enter Wellcome Collection, head up the stairs or take the lift, then follow the signs. 

The Studio

Each workshop has 25 spaces available and you can sign up from 13:30 in the Studio. Places are given out on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you’re visiting the museum with a parent, guardian or support worker, they are welcome to drop you off at our Studio. If you’d like someone to support you during the session, just let us know in advance of the session or on the day.

Saturday Studio sign-up

Discover the tricks of illusion used by set designers in magic and theatre, from scene painting to model making, props and digital tricks.

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/8909604c6a617583ec53cca3b920221eb20f7eaa_c0125661.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/1e5575ebec1dcbc82b0b96b374082f1fc059780a_c0125661.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/515d4dc0cc06780fca041aa9d60817163cd759b5_c0125661.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/6cf84217e811e8297928fa03f998476365148b48_c0125661.jpg

Take part in our interactive weekend workshops for people aged 14 to 19. You’ll get to develop skills in photography, dance, digital journalism and more.

Saturday Studio

Lights, Camera, Magic!

Discover how the work of artists Jo Spence and Oreet Ashery explores how illness disrupts and shapes our identity and examines the idea of the ‘misbehaving body’. 

This introductory tour will be led by a guide using speech-to-text technology.

Nelly Ekström is a culture historian with an academic background in museum and heritage studies. Fascinated by worlds of knowledge past and present, real and imagined, she creates immersive sensory engagement sessions that offer new perspectives on the roles of art and science in our lives.

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/a91c749fec858bb5de8fc37092ca57cbf6be19c3_ne_trustnet_0001.jpg

Nelly Ekström

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/0155b651cb8a11643a307dbf450373a4ebd65def_tf_180521_2120184.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/f7717a8d16091908b381d29841f6819525c63b3f_tf_180521_2120184.jpg

A speech to text tour at Wellcome Collection

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/63837d2151e1d975829695f79617eb6c5fe685d0_tf_180521_2120184.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/0e4caaf79aa76ee11a3108b5b02e35c3d1c0ebd5_tf_180521_2120184.jpg

This event will have live speech-to-text transcription for visitors who are deaf, deafened and hard of hearing. If you would like to come along, email us at access@wellcomecollection.org or call 020 7611 2222.

This event will be audio described for visitors who are blind or partially sighted. Places are free but very limited. If you would like to come along, email access@wellcomecollection.org or call 020 7611 2222.

Speech-to-text

We’ll be in Gallery 2. To get there, go up the stairs or take the lift to level 1.

Gallery 2

With a guide using speech-to-text technology, discover how the work of artists Jo Spence and Oreet Ashery examines the idea of the ‘misbehaving body’.

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/d27f290e8d04d7b8508d9b2a335ed281315f600b_c0112769.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/92960f39d11a97414f078417534902eef4e9d090_c0112769.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/d18f5f886b51e4d0251ac3c9266dc18ac7bec062_c0112769.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/416bdcf8290ded764345ef4e0b72d62fd00456ee_c0112769.jpg

We regularly run tours of our exhibitions for visitors with access needs: British Sign Language (BSL) interpreted, audio described (AD) and speech-to-text (STT) tours.

Access Tours and Discussions

STT Tour of Misbehaving Bodies

Join a collective listening session in the Reading Room where you will hear ‘Grey Granular Fist’. A voice will guide you through the process of how your body would decompose and enable you to imagine your physical afterlife. Sitting in a chair, you will hear the sound piece relate your body to the sculptures and paintings around you. 

For visitors who are blind or partially sighted, the room will be audio described before the listening session – to attend the AD session, be at the Information Desk at 18.20 to meet your Vocal Eyes-trained Visitor Experience Assistant.

If you are unable to come to the gallery, you can listen to ‘Homebody’ from your home simultaneously. This companion piece will guide you through the science of decomposition, the process of social disintegration and the traces that remain once nature repossesses the place we call home. The link to listen will be here on this page on the day of the event.

French & Mottershead will be present in the Reading Room and available for an informal discussion over drinks after the listening session. ‘Grey Granular Fist’ and ‘Homebody’ are part of French & Mottershead’s series ‘Afterlife’.

This event is recommended for visitors aged 14+.

French & Mottershead are the UK artist duo Rebecca French and Andrew Mottershead. They use video, performance, photography and sound to create subversive, poetic and playful multi-artform experiences, often inviting participants to become active collaborators in artworks that disturb and develop their sense of self. French & Mottershead have shown work in galleries across the UK and internationally, including Tate Modern and the Photographers Gallery in London, Salt in Istanbul, and the Perth Institute of Contemporary Art (PiCA) in Western Australia.

French & Mottershead

Artist

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/95556d092a25fde2e24385bb41728f6fbcf60dc0_ep_000829_389_full-cropped.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/067e62da59ac04318e995f0b1bb6eac2f2a6272a_ep_000829_389_full-cropped.jpg

Reading Room event

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/7b1798dd169ee861e8b6c5e1e9f6f8db511bf580_ep_000829_389_full-cropped.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/ec2d022cee11a6e62de30f09ed2f44f1b7b1f112_ep_000829_389_full-cropped.jpg

This event is audio described for visitors who are blind or partially sighted. For any assistance, please email us at access@wellcomecollection.org or call 020 7611 2222.

Audio described

Join a collective listening session and imagine your physical afterlife.

Listening Session with artists French & Mottershead

Discover the works of Jo Spence and Oreet Ashery in this audio-described tour of the Misbehaving Bodies exhibition. Through photography and video, these artists explore the politics of the body, living with chronic illness, and alternative medicine. 

Your tour guide, Rob Bidder, is trained in audio description by VocalEyes and has designed his tour for visitors who are blind or partially sighted.

Everyone will meet at the information point on Level 0 before the tour in Gallery 2.

Rob Bidder is an artist based in south-east London and a Visitor Experience Assistant at Wellcome Collection. He also plays music in a ramshackle manner. He is a Gemini with a Libra ascendant.

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/3d64af0b8c657e60c2b48e3925e7c9950bc0c108_1dfd57b8-4377-4a49-9c02-bcfef31dddc6_robbidder.jpg

Rob Bidder

@robertbidder

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/24ef34fc84aa78a0fa3e4fac6567383120340afb_btg190316160419-2.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/b9ed3066845ec429e5fe136eb844d4a5582c3a30_btg190316160419-2.jpg

Access tour at Wellcome Collection

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/beee44dfda6ec571536e4b05d32b408cecde0dd9_btg190316160419-2.jpg

https://wellcomecollection.cdn.prismic.io/wellcomecollection/65c3d4b27b4e86b8784bdcfc81276f75a7c86312_btg190316160419-2.jpg

We’ll meet at the Information Point, which is on level 0, directly in front of you as you enter Wellcome Collection.

Information Point

Discover the works of Jo Spence and Oreet Ashery in this audio-described tour of the Misbehaving Bodies exhibition.

What's on

Exhibitions and Events

Try these too

Stay connected with email updates from Wellcome Collection

Wellcome collection

Finding us:

Opening times:

Today's opening times