As part of the Ties That Bind Us lecture series, Professor Premesh Lalu will be giving a lecture, "Art effects: sensory education in uncertain times," on 31 March. Click here for more information and to register.
Abstract
In this lecture, South African professor Premesh Lalu explores how art can help us rethink what it means to live together in a world marked by uncertainty and inequality. He speaks about the ties that connect people, but also about the moments when those ties may need to be loosened to make space for something new.
Lalu will integrate insights from The Herds, a groundbreaking public art and climate initiative designed to inspire action and renew our bond with the natural world. From April to August 2025, life-size puppet animals stormed through city centers on a 20,000km journey from Kinshasa in the Congo Basin to Nordkapp in the Arctic Circle, fleeing climate disaster. In doing so, the project brought together the worlds of arts and science in an urgent call for climate action.
Professor Premesh Lalu is a leading researcher and writer on South African history, post-apartheid studies and arts education. He teaches at the University of the Western Cape, VUB’s partner university in South Africa, where he founded the Centre for Humanities Research (CHR).
Professor Lalu's books, including Undoing Apartheid (2022), explore themes such as freedom, solidarity and aesthetic education. Lalu is also active in cultural and educational institutions, including the District Six Museum and the Handspring Trust for Puppetry in Education in South Africa.