Our Lunchtime talks are delivered by staff, students, academics and researchers at the Barber and our wider University of Birmingham community. Focused on key works in our exhibitions and collection, the talks take place in the gallery and are an informal and interesting way of looking closely at artwork.

Dr Alison Cooper has a background in behavioural neuroscience. She currently teaches neuroscience to biomedical science and medical students, including the neurobiology of smell and the impact that smell, and changes to it, can have on human function.

Smell is something we experience continually though, perhaps, often pay little conscious attention to it unless it is extremely strong or has a personal meaning for us. Consequently, how we interpret visual images of others experiencing scent or of scenes and objects that possess scent will be greatly shaped by our own experiences. As we look at the paintings in the exhibition we’ll consider our own interpretations, how they make us feel and the role of our brains in this.

See our access page or contact us learning@barber.org.uk for accessibility support.