Wellcome Collection Lates: The Friendship Effect

Tiffany Watt Smith is a historian of emotions. Her recent book, 'Bad Friend: On Joyous, Imperfect Love', explores the hidden histories of all the ways we connect, grow close to and depend on one another. She is a regular expert contributor to BBC Radio 4, her writing on friendship has appeared in the Guardian, the Financial Times and the Atlantic. 

Lois Weaver is an artist, activist and Professor Emerita of Contemporary Performance Practice at Queen Mary University of London, whose work uses performance as a means of public engagement. She conceived the Care Café in the wake of the 2016 U.S. election and Brexit, as a place – real or virtual, public or domestic – for people to gather their wits, thoughts and comrades in action. 

Jen Harvie is Professor of Contemporary Theatre and Performance at Queen Mary University of London and co-author of the monograph The Only Way Home Is Through the Show: Performance Work of Lois Weaver.  

Helen Idle is an independent curator whose work activates collections to re-story and restore lifeworlds too often unseen.  

Coco Khan is a broadcaster, features journalist for the Guardian and author. Best known for the award-winning podcast Pod Save The UK which she co-hosts with comedian Nish Kumar, Coco also appears regularly across TV and radio, including Newsnight (BBC Two), Jeremy Vine (C5) and News Quiz (BBC R4). In addition, Coco hosts live events and interviews, including a monthly News Roundup with Trouble Club and FANE events. Her style prefers compassion to combat, and (where appropriate) humour to break down complicated subjects. 

Stella Dadzie is a Black feminist activist, artist and writer, and a key figure in the Black women's movement in Britain since the 1970s. She is author of The Heart of the Race (1985), A Kick in the Belly (2020) and A Whole Heap of Mix Up (2025). She is a founder member of OWAAD (Organisation of Women of African and Asian Descent), who played a critical role in the British Civil Rights Movement, and continues to play an important role in tackling youth racism in the UK. She lectures and delivers workshops internationally, including as a guest lecturer at Harvard University. Her personal archive is held in Brixton's Black Cultural Archives.  

Sophie Grace Chappell is Professor of Philosophy at The Open University, and Exectuive Editor of the Philosophical Quarterly. She is a published poet (Songs For Winter Rain, Ellipsis Imprints 2022) who has translated Aeschyus’s Oresteia and Dante’s Divina Commedia into English verse. Her philosophical books include Epiphanies (IOUP 2022), Trans Figured (Polity 2024), and A Philosopher Looks At Friendship (CUP 2024). 

Maria Dauvermann is Assistant Professor in Youth Mental Health at the University of Birmingham, UK. She studies why some young people are more likely to develop mental health conditions like psychosis, and what helps protect others. Her research particularly looks at how difficult childhood experiences affect the brain and body, and how things like supportive friendships build resilience. She works closely with people who have experienced childhood adversity themselves, to ensure her research asks the right questions.  

James Muldoon is a Research Associate at the Oxford Internet Institute and author of Love Machines: How Artificial Intelligence is Transforming our Relationships (Faber, 2026) and Feeding the Machine: The Hidden Human Labour Powering AI (Canongate 2024). 

Stacy Makishi is a transplant from Hawaii who found paradise in Dalston, London in 1993. Like a bonsai plant, Stacy is small but old, and has been making art and infecting folks with curiosity and creativity for 40 years. Cross-fertilizing live art, theatre, comedy, film and visual art, Stacy's work ranges across stage performances, large-scale participatory projects and intimate one-to-ones. Her most recent participatory project, Walking Each Other Home (touring the UK and internationally 2025-7) explores how we gather, how ritual can heal and transform, and how we build communities of connection.  

BLINK Dance Theatre is a neurodiverse group of artists who create highly accessible multisensory projects in education and community settings, and offer training and employment opportunities for artists. Recent projects include the 5-star Edinburgh Fringe hit 'Elvis Died of Burgers' and the multisensory show 'BEAT-FLYS'. An Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, BLINK opened its first permanent home in Battersea in 2025. 

Annie Law is a jeweller, educator, and the founder of House of Law, creating contemporary jewellery inspired by memory, sentiment, and the stories we carry with us. With a BA in Fashion Jewellery Design and an MA in Fashion Artefact from London College of Fashion, Annie combines ancient craftsmanship with a contemporary approach to create bespoke pieces and small collections. Working primarily with recycled precious metals, carefully sourced gemstones, and reclaimed materials, each piece is thoughtfully handcrafted to become a lasting keepsake. 

Celeste Chambers-Hill, originally from Dorset and now based in London after graduating from the Glasgow School of Art, creates jewellery that celebrates individuality and playfulness. Working with a combination of ethically sourced semi-precious gemstones and vibrant synthetic stones, Celeste brings a distinctive sense of colour and character to every piece. Designed to be felt, worn, and loved, her jewellery encourages self-expression and celebrates the joy of adornment. 

Tim Garcia and Tina Edwards are the co-founders of re:sonate, a platform that moves with meaningful curation and unpacks the music industry with care in their weekly Substack. They've created experiences for and with Love Supreme Jazz Festival, KEF Speakers, House of KOKO, Spitalfields Market and many more. 

Sharan has worked as a Sign Language Interpreter for over 15 years, including 10 years with Wellcome Collection. Based in London, she takes a holistic approach to her work and enjoys bringing to life, through her interpretation, the experiences that Wellcome Collection offers for all to enjoy. NRCPD number: 1011797.

Rebekah Spencer is a BSL 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 registration number 1009790.