After Illusions: Power and Deception
How do we understand power in contemporary society? This is the opening talk of the three-part series, responding to Tai Shani: The Spell or The Dream.
This is an 18+ event.
| Dates | Tue 12 Aug 2025 |
| Times | 6.30pm-9pm |
| Space | Lancaster Rooms, New Wing |
| Price | £10/£8 |
Power and deception often go together in our encounters with the state and media, but also in our personal relationships. Invited speakers are asked to share their own experiences and perceptions on power and to discuss the consequences and strategies of living in a world dominated by deception. At the same time, they will reflect on how power can be redistributed, reclaimed or reimagined in more just and transparent ways.
Speakers:
- Reverend Lucy Winkett
- Writer and Artist Huw Lemmey
- Lawyer and Climate Justice Activist Farhana Yamin
- Journalist Hamza Yusuf
Hosted by broadcaster and academic Dalia Gebrial.
Biographies
Reverend Lucy Winkett
Reverend Lucy Winkett
The Reverend Lucy Winkett is Rector of St James’s Piccadilly and a writer and broadcaster. One of the first generation of women to be ordained priest in the Church of England, she was formerly a professional soprano. A regular contributor to Radio 4’s Thought for the Day as part of The Today Programme, her publications include ‘Our Sound is our Wound’ (Continuum 2010) and ‘Reading the Bible with your Feet’ (Canterbury Press 2021). Her strongest spiritual influences have been living with people with learning disabilities in a L’Arche Community and spending a month in silence completing the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. She is currently leading a £20m transformation project ‘The Wren Project’ based at St James’s Piccadilly.
Huw Lemmey
Huw Lemmey is a novelist, artist and critic living in Barcelona. He is the author of four books, including Bad Gays: A Homosexual History and Unknown Language, and his debut film, Ungentle, was released in 2022. He writes the regular essay series “Utopian Drivel” at huw.substack.com, and writes on sex, culture, history and cities for numerous magazines and journals including Frieze and Architectural Review. As an artist and filmmaker, his work has appeared at numerous international institutions and film festivals.
Farhana Yamin
Farhana is an internationally recognised lawyer and climate justice activist. She has provided legal and strategy advice to small islands leaders and ministers on UN climate negotiations for 30 years attending nearly every COP/UN climate summit since 1991. She runs the Climate Justice and Just Transition Donor Collaborative which brings together some of the world’s largest climate philanthropies to create climate solutions that also tackle systemic inequalities. She coordinates the Climate Reframe Project which seeks to amplify the voice of climate activists and experts from racialised minorities in the UK environment movement. She trained as an outdoor education leader, focusing on nature connection, including how to support racialised minorities access and enjoy green spaces.
Hamza Yusuf
Hamza Yusuf is a British-Palestinian writer and journalist based in London. He has written extensively on Palestine for outlets such as Declassified UK, Middle East Eye, and New Internationalist, and has appeared on broadcasts including Sky News, LBC, and AJ+
Dalia Gebrial
Dalia Gebrial is a writer and academic whose work explores race, capitalism, migration and power – with particular interest in how global economic and political systems produce and manage inequality. She is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Geography at King’s College London, a contributing presenter at Novara Media and a Director at Planet B Productions. Her media commentary work spans a range of outlets – including The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Times, Vice, BBC Radio 4, BBC Politics Live, LBC, and BBC World Service. Her most recent book is a co-authored publication entitled ‘Empire’s Endgame: Racism and the British State’, and her most recent documentary feature is ‘Boomerang: How the Legacies of Empire are Breaking Britain Today’.
Part of The Spell or The Dream, a major new commission by Somerset House Studios artist Tai Shani. Centered around a striking new sculpture for the Somerset House courtyard, this multifaceted work includes a 24/7 radio broadcast, live talks and performances, and an extensive family programme, inviting a host of guest contributors to collectively dream of possible futures.