RSA Events

For 13 years, Sir Alex has led one of the world’s most iconic cultural institutions through a period of extraordinary change.

Brexit. A global pandemic that closed theatres overnight. A cost-of-living crisis reshaping audiences and audience behaviour. Few organisations have faced these pressures more intensely, or more visibly, than the Royal Ballet and Opera.

In this wide-ranging conversation, he reflects on what it takes to steward an institution of immense history and global reputation through one of the most defining and difficult decades in its history.

This event will be followed by a drinks reception at 8pm.

Speaker:

Chair:

In partnership with: Royal Ballet and Opera

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Marking 40 years since the Chornobyl disaster, the Ukrainian Institute London and the RSA invite you to reflect on its enduring legacy not only for Ukraine, but for Europe’s environmental security as a whole. This panel discussion will explore how the lessons of Chornobyl continue to shape environmental policy, cross-border cooperation, and societal resilience across the continent.

Speakers:

Serhii Plokhy, Historian, Author, and Professor of History at Harvard University

Eglė Rindzevičiūtė, Professor of Criminology and Sociology at Kingston University London

Jonathon Turnbull, Assistant Professor of Human Geography at Durham University

Chair:

Sasha Dovzhyk, Writer, Curator and Head of INDEX: Institute for Documentation and Exchange (Lviv, Ukraine). Editor of the London Ukrainian Review

In partnership with: Ukrainian Institute London

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The impulse to be creative is ingrained in the human spirit.  

We often turn to art not only to capture the beauty of the world, but also to manage its complexities. In an age where art is often devalued in favour of creating capital, will a new generation of artists be able to maintain their creative output?

To answer this question, we will be joined by John Studzinski, philanthropist and Genesis Foundation founder, for a special conversation about his lifetime support of artists and cultural organisations and on what he has learned about the role creativity plays in mental health, recovery and collective life. The event forms part of the Genesis Foundation’s Genesis Conversationsseries and also marks the 25th anniversary of the Genesis Foundation.

The evening will begin with a preview screening of a new opera Angels on the Underground, composed by Will Todd, and a libretto by Sally Gardner. After the screening there will be a panel conversation and a Q&A session.

Speakers:

Chair:

In partnership with: Genesis Foundation

Please be aware that this event contains subject matter that listeners might find upsetting or triggering.  Listener discretion is advised.

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In her new book, Being Old, Prue offers a candid look at the highs, lows and unexpected freedoms of ageing. From changing priorities to rediscovered passions, from loss to laughter, she explores how life can open up in surprising ways as the years advance. 

Expect a conversation full of warmth, humour and refreshing honesty as Prue shares the lessons she’s learned, the things she wishes she’d known sooner, and why she believes ageing should be celebrated, not feared. 

Followed by audience questions and a chance to have your book signed by Prue. 

Speaker:

Chair:

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Will you make a stand with us this International Women’s Day?

On 4 March, we’ll come together with The Circle to explore how we can protect women and girls in an increasingly turbulent global landscape, and drive change through collective action.

Founded by Annie Lennox alongside other leading women, The Circle is a global feminist organisation bringing together women and allies to create a fairer, safer world.

The evening will be hosted by Nuala McGovern, journalist and presenter of BBC Woman’s Hour, in conversation with co-founder of the Malala Fund, Ziauddin Yousafzai, Raakhi Shah, CEO of The Circle, and Delphine Uwamahoro, founder of Our Sisters’ Opportunity in Rwanda.

One in three women in the world will experience violence in their lifetime. Join us on International Women’s Day to make a stand and demand change.

Speakers:

Chair:

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Can democracies still function when truth itself is destabilised – and what will it take to restore public trust?

Around the world, democracies are being outpaced by a rapidly evolving information crisis. AI-generated deepfakes, automated propaganda, and weaponised synthetic media are now flooding public discourse faster than institutions can respond. What the world is witnessing is a runaway surge of falsehoods, which is turbo-charging a deeper collapse in our democratic capacity to verify what’s real, deliberate together, and hold power to account.

At this pivotal moment, Eliot Higgins, founder of Bellingcat, is bringing forward a new framework for understanding and repairing the deeper democratic fractures beneath the disinformation crisis. This event marks the first public discussion of that work.

Eliot is joined by award- winning investigative journalist Carole Cadwalladr – campaigner for a free and accountable press – for a timely discussion in collaboration with Media Revolution campaigners and early adopters of the Bellingcat ARC framework. Together they will examine how AI is supercharging already established disinformation networks – and what new civic, investigative, and institutional infrastructures are needed to rebuild shared reality.

Speakers:

Chair:

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In the past year, AI capabilities have rapidly advanced across fields ranging from coding to higher mathematics. Industry valuations and capital expenditure have soared to hundreds of billions of dollars, and nations are racing to build their own “sovereign” compute capacity. Sceptics warn of an AI bubble, but governments increasingly fear missing out on what could be the most fundamental general-purpose technology since electricity. 

The Observer’s Global AI Index aims to make sense of this landscape in the 93 countries that invest in artificial intelligence. Now in its sixth year, it’s the leading ranking of countries in their investment, implementation and innovation in artificial intelligence.

Hear from The Observer’s data scientists as they discuss the latest rankings, trends and changes, before a conversation led by editor-in-chief, James Harding, about what this means. 

Speakers: 

Patricia Clarke, Technology Reporter, The Observer 

Serena Cesareo, Senior Researcher, The Observer 

Hannah Schuller, Data Reporter and Researcher, The Observer 

Chair: James Harding, Editor in Chief, The Observer 

In Partnership with The Observer.

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From debates over impartiality and political pressure to digital consumption habits and culture-war narratives, this Great Room discussion brings together leading voices to examine what a renewed, resilient BBC could become.

• Alan Rusbridger, Journalist and Editor, Prospect Magazine
• Manveen Rana, Journalist and Podcast Host, The Times
• Lewis Goodall, Journalist, Broadcaster (The News Agents) and Author
• Hardeep Matharu, Editor-in-Chief, Byline Times

• Nina Nannar, Arts Editor, ITV News

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In the RSA’s historic Great Room – the home of ideas since the Enlightenment – cognitive scientist Gaurav Suri explores how both human and AI minds emerge from vast, hidden networks of neural activity. A clear, compelling introduction to the science behind intelligence, attention and learning.

• Gaurav Suri, Cognitive Scientist and Psychologist (Associate Professor, San Francisco State University)

• David Malone, Documentary Filmmaker and Author

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The 2025 RDI address will be delivered by incoming Master Johanna Gibbons RDI, founding partner of J&L Gibbons and founding director of Landscape Learn.

Johanna is a Landscape Architect, Founding Partner of J&L Gibbons established in 1986 and Founding Director of social enterprise Landscape Learn. She studied at Edinburgh College of Art and is a Fellow of the Landscape Institute and the RSA, and a Research Partner of Urban Mind with Kings College London with an international profile as design panellist, juror and speaker.

Jo was awarded Royal Designer for Industry in 2019 for her ‘pioneering and influential work combining design with activism, education and professional practice’. She is respected for routinely and seamlessly incorporating ecology, organismal biology, urban planning, conservation, community organising, the arts, and pedagogy, being driven by a keen awareness of climate change, biodiversity loss, and social need.

Her many award-winning, collaborative and innovative designs span over four decades of practice, mostly within the cultural and public realm sector. They range from urban regeneration, heritage and estate planning to artist collaboration and the landscapes of cathedrals and museums, including the Natural History Museum London, Inger Munch Pier Oslo, Horniman Museum and Gardens, St Albans Cathedral and The British Library.

Prior to the Address, 5 new Royal Designers for Industry (RDI) and 2 new Honorary Royal Designers for Industry will be welcomed to the Faculty.

The title ‘Royal Designer for Industry’ is awarded annually by the RSA to designers of all disciplines who have achieved sustained design excellence, work of aesthetic value and significant benefit to society.

The RDI is the highest accolade for designers in the UK. Only 200 designers can hold the title. Non-UK designers may become honorary Royal Designers.

The ‘Royal Designers’ are responsible for designing the world around us, enriching our cultural heritage, driving innovation, inspiring creativity in others and improving our quality of life.

• Johanna Gibbons RDI, founding partner of J&L Gibbons and founding director of Landscape Learn
• Charlie Paton RDI, founder and director of Seawater Greenhouse Ltd and RDI Master

• Sir Loyd Grossman CBE, chair of trustees, RSA

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