Wellcome Collection - What's On in January

Booking for events opens at 11.00 on Friday 8 January.   You can book online with our ticketing system by following the links below, or you can call us on 020 7611 2222.

FREE EXHIBITION Tibet's Secret Temple: Body, mind and meditation in Tantric Buddhism UNTIL 28 FEBRUARY FREE | DROP IN “A blissful wander through body and brain” – The Psychologist “Enlightenment in Euston” – Time Out       Tibet’s Secret Temple explores Tibetan Buddhist yogic and meditational practice and their connections to physical and mental wellbeing.        This exhibition is inspired by an exquisite series of 17th-century murals from a private meditation chamber for Tibet’s Dalai Lamas in Lhasa’s Lukhang Temple. By bringing the mural images together with a unique set of objects, Tibet’s Secret Temple uncovers previously unseen stories behind the ancient, esoteric and once-secret practices illustrated in the Lukhang murals and shows their relevance to the expanding and wide-ranging contemporary interest in meditative wellbeing.         Queuing or timed ticketing may be in operation at weekends and other busy times.       › Tibet's Secret Temple – find out more   SPECIAL EVENT Bodies in Balance SATURDAY 16 JAN, 10.30–17.30 FREE | DROP IN A lively day of activities and talks exploring the art of Tibetan medicine and healing, from pulse reading, urine analysis and other classical methods of observational diagnosis to the application of Tibetan Yogas in contemporary medical settings. Learn about your own body type and what it means to be balanced from a different cultural perspective. Challenge your notion of the universe – from macrocosm to microcosm – and observe the creation and offering of a Medicine Mandala, made from tiny grains of vibrantly coloured sand. › Bodies in Balance – find out more Library Insights: Tibetan medicine, inside out SATURDAY 16 JAN, 12.00–13.00 FREE | BOOK FROM 8 JAN Join Ronit Yoeli-Tlalim, Senior Lecturer at the History Department at Goldsmiths, University of London, as she gives a taste of Tibetan views of links between inner and outer, between the Buddha, the days of the week, the cycle of the years and the human body. This talk will explore the crossovers between microcosms and macrocosms in the wider understanding of Tibetan attitudes to medicine and the body.       › Tibetan medicine, inside out – find out more Meditation as Medicine? SATURDAY 16 JAN, 15.00–16.00 FREE | FIRST COME, FIRST SEATED Hear from Alejandro Chaoul about his unique experiences of bringing Tibetan Yogas into biomedical settings. Chaoul teaches and researches Tibetan meditation with people who have cancer and their families using body–mind yogic practices. Join us to find out more about Chaoul’s perspective on the relationship between Tibetan meditation and chronic stress, anxiety and sleep disorders. Advance tickets are fully booked. Limited tickets will be available from 14.00 on the day. › Meditation as Medicine? – find out more   BOOK Tibet's Secret Temple Postcard Book ON SALE NOW A book of 25 large-format cards, showcasing exquisite details from the temple murals and key artefacts from the exhibition, is available exclusively from the Wellcome Shop for £9.99.   COMING SOON States of Mind: Tracing the edges of consciousness 4 FEBRUARY–16 OCTOBERFREE | DROP IN This changing exhibition will examine perspectives from artists, psychologists, philosophers and neuroscientists to interrogate our understanding of the conscious experience. Exploring phenomena such as somnambulism, mesmerism, and disorders of memory and consciousness, the exhibition will examine ideas about the nature of consciousness, and in particular what can happen when our typical conscious experience is interrupted, damaged or undermined. › States of Mind: Tracing the edges of consciousness – find out more   FREE EVENTS Packed Lunch: Healthy Bones WEDNESDAY 20 JAN, 13.00–14.00 FREE | FIRST COME, FIRST SEATED Osteoporosis affects one in two women over the age of 50 and results in bones becoming weaker and breaking more easily. Dr Amelia Moore is currently studying whether adding vitamin K to the current treatment regime can improve bone health in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. She is also looking at a new imaging procedure for diagnosing Paget’s disease of bone. Come and hear more about the latest research into how we can keep our bones healthy. › Packed Lunch: Healthy Bones – find out more Black Holes and the Evolution of Galaxies THURSDAY 28 JAN, 19.00–20.30 FREE | BOOK FROM 8 JAN Professor Thaisa Storchi Bergmann’s observations at the Cerro Tololo Observatory in Chile have led to a greater understanding of how supermassive black holes behave and how they influence the evolution of galaxies. Before the events there will be an audio described session exploring relevant objects. Please note there will be no audio description during the event. › Black Holes and the Evolution of Galaxies – find out more  YOUTH PROGRAMME Saturday Studio: Graphic art mandalas workshop SATURDAY 23 JAN, 14.00–15.00, 15.00–16.00, 16.00–17.00 FREE | DROP IN Aged 14-19? Drop by to create your own graphic art mandalas using laser-cut shapes and block-printing techniques, in workshops led by professional artist Bonnie Craig. You will also have the rare opportunity to see a sand mandala in the final stages of completion, followed by its ritual destruction by a group of Tibetan Buddhist monks. There are 20 spaces in each session - first come, first served. › Graphic art mandalas worhshop – find out more   ONLINE Creating the creative: Tibet’s Secret Temple If you’ve ever wondered how the visual identity of an exhibition comes together, we explain with help from the creative talent behind the one for Tibet’s Secret Temple, featuring paper cut-outs of lush foliage and dramatic clouds, in Creating the creative. Infectious Diseases in the Reading Room We run interactive Object and Archive sessions to start a dialogue with visitors about a given subject. Covering pustules, poetry, deification, vaccination and odd cures, find out more about Infectious Diseases in the Reading Room.   WELLCOME KITCHEN Wellcome Kitchen: changes for 2016 After listening to visitors’ comments we’ve made some changes to Wellcome Kitchen for 2016. You can now enjoy a more informal menu of delicious lunches, light snacks and afternoon tea – at lower prices. With full waiter service, you can enjoy a bite to eat in a quieter space than our bustling café downstairs. We’ll still be open for dinner on Thursday and First Friday evenings, with hot specials added to the daytime menu. Wellcome Kitchen will no longer open on Mondays, when the main galleries are closed, but Wellcome Café will still be open every Monday. Check out the new menu.