Festival Entertainment and Exhibitions

Welcome Address

The Academy of Ideas is pleased to announce that the 2nd Annual Battle of Ideas festival will be opened by Sir Christopher Frayling, rector of the Royal College of Art, George Brock, Saturday Editor of The Times and James Panton, Tutor in Politics, St John’s College, University of Oxford and Co-convenor of the Battle of Ideas.

Christopher, George and James will also be participating in debates at this year's festival, so be sure not to miss their opening address, which will set the tone for a weekend of contestation and contemplation.

The welcome reception will take place on Saturday 28 October at 10.00am in the Gulbenkian Gallery, where many of the keynote debates will also be occurring.

Explore the universe with the Battle of Ideas

Introduced by Dr Paul Roche, director of the Faulkes Telescope Project

With the help of the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council, explore the wonders of the universe through an exhibition featuring the Faulkes Telescope, which the festival will have remote access to during the Battle of Ideas weekend. The Faulkes Telescope Project in Hawaii is a joint effort between the Dill Faulkes Educational Trust and the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy and is used for astronomical research and scientific education for students in Hawaii and the United Kingdom.

With its 2-meter diameter primary mirror, this telescope (along with its twin in Australia) is the largest telescope for educational use in the world. The telescope is designed to be completely robotic and to be controlled from remote locations. Real time mode involves operating the telescope through a web browser over the Internet, making it a truly unique scientific event

Faulkes Telescope shows
The Wonders of Space, Saturday 15.00 – 15.30, Lecture Theatre 1
Killer Asteroids and Other Natural Disasters, Sunday 15.30 – 16.00, Lecture Theatre 1

Faulkes telescope workshops with Dr Paul Roche, director of the Faulkes Telescope Project
Main exhibition space, Saturday and Sunday 12.15 - 13.15
These workshops offer the opportunity to control for yourself the Faulkes Telescope and explore space.
NB Spaces for the workshops are limited and attendees will need to take their own laptops (some laptops may be provided with prior notice and deposit - contact Shirley Dent on 020 7269 9229)

The Faulkes telescope shows and workshops are subject to suitable weather conditions

Festival reception

Sponsored by the Royal College of Music

We are also delighted to be joined by the Royal College of Music, one of the world's foremost classical music institutions, who will host a Battle of Ideas reception in the Grade II listed barrel-vaulted Concert Hall, featuring live performances from Royal College of Music students.

18.00 – 21.00 Royal College of Music, Prince Consort's Road, London, SW7

19.00: Welcome speeches - Claire Fox (Institute of Ideas), Eliot Forster (Pfizer) and Colin Lawson (Royal College of Music)

19.10: Mozart and Shostakovich performed by the Westers Trio

Programme –

Mozart: Divertimento in B flat major K 254, 1 Allegro assai

Shostakovich: trio no. 1 in C minor op 8

The Westers Trio is a recently formed chamber ensemble. Performances and activities to date have included a series of recitals in the Netherlands in April 2006 and chamber concerts at St Mary Abbot’s Church, Kensington.

Joanna Westers, violin

Steffan Rees, violoncello

Adam Sherkin, piano

19.30 onwards: jazz provided by the RCM Jazz Trio

Battle of Ideas WiFi lounge sponsored by BT Openzone

Sponsored by BT Openzone
Link Gallery – all weekend

Come and surf the net, check your email and catch up with the latest news online at the BT Openzone WiFi Lounge

Sponsors and speakers supper

Sponsored by cScape

The Battle of Ideas festival will once again host an invitation only supper for all of the sponsors, speakers and guests involved in this year's event. This will take place in the Grange Strathmore Hotel and will open with a short welcome talk by Theresa Clifford, Business Development Director at cScape, our sponsor for the evening.

Festival bookshop

The Pan Bookshop will once again run the festival bookshop. A well-known and respected independent bookshop, Pan Bookshop has a loyal customer following and sells a large stock of signed edition books, as well as holding frequent launches, readings and in-store signings. It is the only publisher-owned general bookshop in London.

Pan Bookshop is located at 158 Fulham Road, London, SW10 9PR.