The Idea of the North June 19, 2009

Speaker: Peter Davidson

The idea of the North lies at the intersection of poetry, myth, art and the myriad ways in
which artists, poets and explorers have filtered the north's stark natural splendour through
their imaginations. The author, Peter Davidson, will offer an route through the various shapes
the North has taken in the minds of humans, be it a 'North' which is the other end of town,
Manchester, or the Arctic Circle.

This is a part of the series of events which will be held in
collaboration with the City of London Festival, which runs from the 19 June to 9 July
2009.

Exciting events for the 2009 Festival are being advanced. The tradition of 'trading places'
with other locations, culturally and commercially, will be maintained. This year the festival
will navigate the latitude of 60 degrees North and reinforce links between the City of London
and seven Baltic and Nordic cities: St Petersburg, Tallinn, Helsinki, Stockholm, Oslo,
Kirkwall (Orkney) and Reykjavik, all of which share the 'white nights' of midsummer, a special
quality of light and the maritime environment which uniquely define the 'northness'. There
will be a special focus on the environment and sustainability in this year's Festival.

Full details of the Festival programme can be obtained from www.colf.org.

Official Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/event.asp?PageId=45&EventId=894