Festival of Ideas

A high-profile panel considers the immigration debate from a diverse variety of angles. David Goodhart (Director, DEMOS), Habib Rahman (Chief Executive, Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants), Dr Michael Kitson (University of Cambridge) and Dr Sarah Fine (King's college London) tackle the complex and divisive issues dominating the media and elections at the University of Cambridge Festival of Ideas 2013. Chaired by Professor Loraine Gelsthorpe (Criminology Faculty/CAMMIGRES); organised by Ed Anderson (History Faculty). Filmed by Amélie Deblauwe + Simon Gelinas. Edited by Alex Wright.

The world's population will reach seven billion this year. Can the Earth sustain this many people and is reproductive freedom a fundamental liberty? What will the future hold for a crowded planet? In this film, Professor John Guillebaud, Population Matters; Sara Parkin, Forum for the Future; Fred Pearce, author of 'Peoplequake'; and Sir Tony Wrigley, Cambridge Group for the History of Population and Social Structure debate the topic. This event forms part of the Cambridge Festival of Ideas ( on Tuesday 25 October 2011.

Find out more about the eagerly awaited Cambridge Festival of Ideas event 'Access all archives: sights and sounds' which will take place on Monday 24 October 2011. The University's museums will be brought alive with live music and cutting-edge sound installations to accompany your exploration of the archives. Film and photography projections, improvisation, gamelan gongs, DJ sets and more combine to awaken your senses as you embark on a trail of discovery throughout this late night opening. Full programme details and venue information at

A record breaking 12,000 members of the public attended the 2011 Festival of Ideas. Nearly 190 events took place over twelve days and there was a chance to get involved in everything from a circus skills workshop to debates on current affairs issues. Check out everything you missed in this short video! The Festival of Ideas celebrates the arts, humanities and social sciences with hundreds of free workshops, talks and film screenings. It is organised by the University of Cambridge. The next Festival of Ideas will take place between the 24 October - 4 November 2012.

Streetpianos Cambridge 2012 From 22nd October to the 3rd November 2012, CaMEO at the Faculty of Music, University of Cambridge, will bring 'Play me, I'm Yours' to the city as part of the University of Cambridge's Festival of Ideas Fifteen pianos, designed and decorated by local artists and community groups will feature in public parks, streets and green spaces across Cambridge for any member of the public to play and enjoy. After being in place for two weeks, the pianos will be donated to local good causes and community groups so that the people who have been enjoying them can continue to do so. Music By: Fabio Tedde Track name: Equality (c) All Rights Reserved Edited and Filmed by "Moticulous" /ozscar

Eight pianos, nine musicians, four cameras and one dog. For two weeks, the 'Play Me, I'm Yours' event inspired choirs, ballerinas, pianists and poets to tickle the ivories at fifteen piano hotspots in parks and streets across the city of Cambridge. Nine students from the University's Faculty of Music volunteered, each lending their own particular playing style, which is reflected in the video. In order to maintain a level of artistic control, the volunteers were asked to memorise the same chord progression and play along to a beat played off an MP3 player. Playing in whatever style they felt most comfortable, the pianists followed the same tempo allowing for more than one recording to be played simultaneously, creating the illusion of a musical collaboration.