Join us to discover more about:
🎭 The role of arts in communicating science
💉 Questions of safety, trust and confidence in public health
♀️ The overlooked contributions of women in the history of medicine

We invite you to join the conversation and share your own perspectives during the event too!

🖌Image 4: Lady Mary Wortley Montagu with her son, Edward Wortley Montagu, and attendants, circa 1717. Attributed to Jean Baptise Vanmour. © National Portrait Gallery, London.

✒️ Mary's letters: Letters of the Right Honourable Lady M--y W---y M---e : written during her travels in Europe, Asia and Africa ... Which contain ... accounts of the policy and [contd]manners of the Turks / [Mary Wortley Montagu]. Source: Wellcome Collection, pp. 91-92 (abridged); title page.

🖌️ Image 2: Rash of pustules on the hand of a patient, probably suffering from smallpox, by R. Carswell, 1831. Wellcome Collection. wellcomecollection.org/works/hgu5jfxh
🖌️ Image 3: Mary Wortley Montagu, by Charles Jervas, 1716. The Yorck Project. commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?...

📷 Opera photos: @robinclewleyphotography
🖌️ Image 1: Mary Wortley Montagu, by Jonathan Richardson, 1725. The Yorck Project. commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jo...

In the first installment, meet Lady Mary: a defiant campaigner for inoculation - the purposeful infection of a patient to produce a mild and controlled case of disease - in 18th century Britain - performed by the spell-binding mezzo soprano Rosie Middleton ✨

Zakiya Leeming ctd: "in Manchester and Oxford writing their own original work inspired by immunology, this project has involved the creativity of so many. I'm grateful to everyone involved and hope projects like this continue to make space for creative interdisciplinary work.” 4/ 👏

Zakiya Leeming @rncmprism.bsky.social: “The past three years working with Paul on this collaborative project have been incredibly rewarding. From creating a new opera on the theme of immune memory together with a dedicated cast and creative team to working with school students... 3/

Prof. Klenerman @ox.ac.uk: “It’s been a privilege to work on this project with Zakiya. It’s also been wonderful to see how the ideas have progressed from the early concepts, via the outreach work with schools, to the final amazing piece performed at the RNCM in Manchester last week.”

🔗 Read the Arts Desk review of Dangerous Matter here! www.google.com/amp/theartsd...

The opera is the result of a 3 year collaboration between Zakiya Leeming at @rncmprism.bsky.social and Prof. Paul Klenerman @ox.ac.uk supported by @wellcometrust.bsky.social - with a huge range of support and participation from scientists and musicians across Oxford and @manchester.ac.uk 🥳

Get your ticket here! www.rncm.ac.uk/performance/...

lies a story of human lives, relationships, and moral conviction. Recognising our shared values and humanity creates a foundation upon which we can build meaningful conversation." Zakiya Leeming's new opera Dangerous Matter premieres TOMORROW @rncmlive.bsky.social

"The libretto, by Sam Redway after Lady Mary’s own writing, explores the deeply human dimensions of public health: fear, hope, loss, and trust. The emotional weight behind human motivations reminds us that beneath every policy or breakthrough, and every stance against it... 2/