Passing Down, Larry Achiampong & David Blandy in conversation with Subhadra Das & Sasha Henriques & Yomi Ṣode, at Wellcome Collection, London
Friday 15 September 2023, 19:00 – 20:30
Join artists Larry Achiampong and David Blandy and panellists, Sasha Henriques & Yomi Ṣode, in conversation with host Subhadra Das about their most recent work, ‘_GOD_MODE_’, featured in their ‘Genetic Automata’ exhibition at the Wellcome Collection London, and how it addresses the legacies of scientific racism and eugenics.
Location: Henry Wellcome Auditorium (Level -1)
Wellcome Collection
In person or Online, please book FREE tickets here:
Venue: Henry Wellcome Auditorium book here for In-venue tickets or
Livestream Event book here for Online tickets
‘Genetic Automata’ will be open to ticket holders before the event, from 18:15–19:00.
Photo credit: Kathleen Arundell, Wellcome Collection, Genetic Automata event
Passing Down with Larry Achiampong and David Blandy
Watch a screening of the film followed by a conversation hosted by Subhadra Das who will interview the artists and panellist about their experiences of discovering and sharing histories of race science.
You will be able to ask questions in the Auditorium via a roving microphone, and online via the moderated YouTube chat.
There will be a Chill-Out Room next to the event space if you’d like to lie down or relax. There will be low lighting, comfortable seating, cushions and mats throughout the room. You can make use of ear defenders, earplugs, board games and materials with different textures.
‘Genetic Automata’ will be open to ticket holders before the event, from 18:15–19:00.
Subhadra Das @sub_das
Subhadra Das is a writer and historian who looks at the relationship between science and society, and what those histories mean for our lives today. For nine years, she was Curator of the Science Collections at University College London, where she was also Researcher in Critical Eugenics at the Sarah Parker Remond Centre for the Study of Racism and Racialisation. Her research centres around critical approaches to the history of science, particularly race science and eugenics, along with the history of museums, particularly the colonial history of natural history museums. She has written and presented podcasts, curated museum exhibitions, done stand-up comedy and regularly appears on radio and television.
Sasha Henriques: @sashfari1628 / geneticsengage.org / @SHenriques3 on Twitter
Sasha Henriques is a PhD student with Wellcome Connecting Science exploring structural inequalities in genomics, a principal genetic counsellor at Guy’s and St Thomas’s NHS trust and the course director for their Equality Diversity and Inclusion for Genomic Professionals Training. As a committee member of the Association of the UK Genetic Nurses and Counsellors (AGNC) she was instrumental in convening the association’s first subcommittee on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. She also designed and currently delivers cross-cultural communication teaching for the MSc in Genetic Counselling at Cardiff University and the Scientist Training Programme (STP) for genomic counsellors in England. She is an advocate for sharing genetics with all communities and believes that true inclusivity goes far beyond the patient-clinician interaction, as such she co-founded Genetics Engage a public engagement platform to promote inclusivity in all things genetic.
Yomi Ṣode: @yemi_sode / @yemisode on Twitter / yomisode.com
Yomi Ṣode is a Nigerian British writer. His debut collection ‘Manorism’, (Penguin, 2022) published alongside a stage adaptation at the Southbank Centre, is shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize 2023 and the T S Eliot Prize 2022. He was shortlisted for the Brunel International African Poetry Prize 2021, and received the Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellowship in 2019. Yomi's acclaimed one-man show ‘COAT’ toured nationally to sold-out audiences. In 2020 his libretto Remnants, written in collaboration with award-winning composer James B. Wilson and performed with Chineke! Orchestra premiered on BBC Radio 3. In 2021, his play, ‘and breathe…’ premiered at the Almeida Theatre to rave reviews. Yomi is a Complete Works alumnus and a member of Malika’s Poetry Kitchen. He is the founder of BoxedIn, First Five, The Daddy Diaries, and mentorship programme, 12 in 12