Home What’s on Events

The Thirst Symposium Day Three

, –
Past
  • Free
  • Symposium
  • British Sign Language interpreted
Gaylene Gould sitting on a chair, in a park scene.
Gaylene Gould, A still from the film Interview with Black Mary Project by Wellcome Collection Multimedia & Audiovisual. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).

What you’ll do

Day three of ‘The Thirst Symposium’ features drop-in creative workshops, talks and walks exploring water, healing and heritage.  

Inspired in part by the story of Mary Woolaston, a 17th-century Black well keeper, our programme of activities invite you to share personal experiences, engage in hands-on making, and connect with the past, present and future of water.

If you need a break from the action, you can head to our Chill-Out Room to lie down or relax. There will be low lighting, comfortable seating, cushions, mats, ear defenders, earplugs and sensory toys.

A BSL interpreter will be available throughout the day – you can ask a member of staff if you need support.

Dates

, –
Past

Past events

–

–

  • Workshop
River Ribbons and Healing Cloths
Reading Room
Drop in any time to these workshops inspired by the legend of Mary Woolaston, a Black 17th Century well keeper, to share stories about water and healing. Write about your first encounter with a body of water on a continuous ribbon, and design and stitch your own healing cloth symbol. The workshops will be led by Gaylene Gould of the Black Mary Project, Zaynab Bunsie and Calthorpe Community Members. You can also meet history researcher Emanuela Aru for a conversation and look at some research materials about Black Mary. Following the workshop, you’re invited to take a 20-minute walk to the new Mary Woolaston sculpture at Calthorpe Community Garden. Pick up a postcard with a map from the workshop facilitators.

–

  • Workshop
Guided Meditation of Water Workshop
Reading Room
Come to a drop-in creative workshop facilitated by Visitor Experience & Engagement Facilitator Isabel Greenslade, where you're invited to imaginatively inhabit a drop of water, exploring its 'happy place' and how it experiences its surroundings. There will be a reflective conversation about how we view and use resources like water, animals or minerals, and how we can foster a deeper, more empathetic connection with the natural world.

–

  • Workshop
Doggerland Workshop
Viewing Room
Join a workshop run by Visitor Experience & Engagement Facilitators Solange laRose and Sarah Dabbs to explore Doggerland, the ancient land bridge that once connected Britain to mainland Europe before being gradually submerged by rising sea levels around 7,000 years ago. You’ll have the opportunity to reflect on the profound loss of land, home, and ancestral heritage experienced by its early inhabitants – a fate that resonates deeply with communities in Indonesia today who face similar threats from climate-driven sea level rise.

–

  • Session
Object in Focus: Groundwater Earth
Gallery 1
In this workshop facilitated by Visitor Experience & Engagement Facilitator Solange laRose, learn more about ‘Groundwater Earth’, an installation by Anthony Acciavatti featured in our 'Thirst' exhibition. This installation highlights the significant impact of the excessive use of tube wells and mechanised technologies for extracting water from rock.

–

  • Session
River Ribbon Walk
Information Point on level 0
Join this guided walk from Wellcome Collection to Calthorpe Community Gardens, led by artist Gaylene Gould. You can take the river ribbons and healing cloths collected from workshops earlier in the day. A collective reading of the river ribbon stories will take place next to Mary Woolaston’s statue in the healing garden, where you can also take part in a water ritual and leave your healing cloth there. Please note that spaces are limited. Sign up at the Information Desk as soon as you arrive to secure your spot.

Need to know

Location

This is an event with several different activities. Check specific sub-events for their locations.

Drop in

Just turn up to this event. It's likely to have room for everyone.

British Sign Language interpreted

This event will have British Sign Language interpretation.

For more information, please visit our Accessibility page. If you have any queries about accessibility, please email us at access@wellcomecollection.org or call

Our event terms and conditions

About your contributors

Emanuela Aru

Facilitator

Emanuela is a Clerkenwell and Islington Guide with a passion for London‘s Social History.  

Gaylene Gould

Facilitator

Gaylene is a socially-engaged artist who affects social change through artistic projects that build communities of care. She is the Lead Artist of The Black Mary Project. 

Zaynab Bunsie

Facilitator

Zaynab is the Black Mary Project Producer, a creative facilitator and a practising counsellor.

Black and white photo of the head and shoulders of an older woman with short grey hair and glasses. she is looking towards the camera and talking.

Isabel Greenslade

(she/her)
Facilitator

Isabel is a Visitor Experience & Engagement Facilitator at Wellcome Collection, and a poet with a background in the youth homelessness sector. Drawing on her practice as a poet, she creates shared experiences through storytelling. 

Solange LaRose

(she/her)
Facilitator

Solange is a Visitor Experience & Engagement Facilitator, creating exciting, engaging and thought-provoking experiences for visitors to the Wellcome Collection. Solange has a professional background in the higher education sector and has supported students at all stages of their learning. Solange has a particular interest in archaeology and ancient material culture.

Sarah Dabbs

Sarah Dabbs

(she/her)
Facilitator

Sarah is a Visitor Experience & Engagement Facilitator at Wellcome Collection, a medical doctor and a writer. She loves all things medical history, especially around medieval concepts of medicine, Georgian and Dickensian London, and maritime folklore.

Head and shoulder picture of a woman with shoulder length, curly hair. She is wearing red lipstick, large hoop earrings and is gesturing with her hands and looking above and to the right of the camera.

Sumayya Si-Tayeb

British Sign Language interpreter

Sumayya is a BSL Interpreter based in London who works primarily in theatre, community services and faith-based institutions.

Michelle Wood

British Sign Language interpreter

Michelle has been a qualified British Sign Language Interpreter for over 20 years and has been working with the Wellcome Collection for the last 10 years. She loves being a small part of the team who ensure that the Deaf Community have full access to what, in her view, is one of the best places in London. NRCPD no: 1009790.