Colourful events
Join us for the second annual Courtyard Late ‘The Colours of Burlington House’, writes Michael McKimm
During the evening of Friday 11 August 2017 between 1800 and 2030, the Library will be hosting three special talks around the theme ‘The Colours of Geology’.
The Colour of Gemstones
Cally Oldershaw FGS, former Curator of Gemstones for the Natural History Museum in London and first Lady Chair of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain, will introduce you to the colours of gemstones including diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald, as well as tanzanite, and the rainbow colours of tourmaline. Discover what causes colour in gemstones and how colours can be enhanced.
1800-1900, Tickets £12.00, Booking essential
The Colour of Maps
Dr Allison Ksiazkiewicz (University of Cambridge) will explore how early geologists described three-dimensional landscape through the visual language of maps and sections of the earth. Find out about the techniques used in the maps produced by geologists George Bellas Greenough and William Smith and how colour and theories of art played an important role in the first geological maps of Britain.
1830-1930, Free, no booking required
The Colour of Fossils
Dr Maria McNamara (University College Cork) will explain how the emerging field of fossil colour has revealed unprecedented insights into the ecology and behaviour of ancient animals. Find out about how colour is preserved in ancient animals and how it can shed light on what they looked like, how they communicated with each other, and how the functions of colour have evolved through deep time.
1800-1900, Free, no booking required