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Slow Art Day

, –
  • Free
  • Gallery tour
  • Audio described
  • Hearing loop
  • Relaxed
A photograph of a Visitor Experience facilitator giving a tour in the Reading Room.
Visitor Experience Reading Room tour, Photo: Eszter Bonyi. Source: Wellcome Collection. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).

What you’ll do

Join our visitor experience facilitators for a day of 'slow looking' and immerse yourself in the act of observation. We'll be taking time to study and contemplate artworks in our collection, and you'll have the chance to describe and discuss your impressions.

'Slow looking' is a form of active learning that gives you the chance to engage with art and objects on your own terms and at your own pace. The intention is to spend up to 10 minutes with a single artwork. No experience or knowledge about art is needed.

Drop into the Forum anytime between 11:00 and 17:00 to learn more about slow art and try it for yourself.

You can also join one of six guided tours happening throughout the day, exploring topics including mental health, life and death and food. Tours will last about 30 to 45 minutes and start from the Forum on the hour.

11:00 — Possible reasons for admission to the asylum with Sunny

Explore artworks that reflect on historical understandings of mental health.

12:00 — Flesh and bones with Joelle

Slow-look at how flesh and bone are studied, painted and layered into the compositions of two paintings in our Reading Room.

13:00 — Slow-looking with Griff

Join a reflective tour of artworks that explore experiences of mental health.

14:00 — Food memories with Sana

Join a tour about personal and cultural memories through food.

15:00 — Memento mori with Jake

Explore sculptures that reflect on birth, life and death.

16:00 — Mystery slow-looking with Enver

End the day with a slow-looking session around a surprise theme.

This is a relaxed event, so you can move around during the session. There will also be a Chill-Out Room with cushions, blankets, ear defenders, earplugs and stim toys.     

Slow Art Day is an annual, international event celebrating art.

Dates

, –
Just turn up

Need to know

Location

We’ll be in the Forum. To get there, take the lift or stairs up to level 1 and then follow the signs through the ‘Being Human’ gallery.

Drop in

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

Audio described

Key visual elements referred to during this event will be described.

Hearing loop

There will be a hearing loop at this event.

Relaxed

This is a relaxed event, which means that if you need to, you are welcome to move around and make noise at any time.

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 facilitators

A headshot photo of a man with grey hair wearing a black top

Griff Davies

Griff is a Visitor Experience & Engagement Facilitator at Wellcome Collection with a background in art and exhibitions. He likes investigating and discussing objects of the past, making connections with the present.

Black and white photo of the head and shoulders of a young woman with long black hair.

Sana Siddiqui

(she/her)

Sana is a Visitor Experience & Engagement Facilitator at Wellcome Collection. She has a deep interest in food history and the social aspects of food. She facilitates creative engagements in the museum, combining her passion for food and storytelling.

Jake Blackavar

(he/they)

Jake is a Visitor Experience & Engagement Facilitator at Wellcome Collection. They take a question-led approach to gallery tours and lead a range of creative workshops. Jake also helps run ‘Conversations about Death’, an ongoing series of events at Wellcome Collection that fosters open discussion around tender subjects.

Solange LaRose

(she/her)

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.

Black and white photograph of the head and shoulders of a young man wearing dark sunglasses and looking up to the top right of the image.

Enver Ahmed

(he/him)

Enver Ahmed is a Visitor Experience and Engagement Facilitator at Wellcome Collection with a background in language and teaching. He loves history and enjoys learning from others’ experiences as much as sharing his knowledge, expertise and experience with people. 

A headshot of Joelle smiling. Joelle has dark hari and wears glasses and a dark red jumper.

Sin Ying Joelle Li

(she/her)

Joelle is a Visitor Experience & Engagement Facilitator at Wellcome Collection, where she researches objects and actively explores creative approaches to making the museum and collection more relevant to contemporary audiences. Valuing the lived experiences of others, she is passionate about fostering empathy, dialogue, and co-learning by adopting equitable representation. She is particularly interested in the intersection of theatre and museum.