Six ways to experience UCL Culture

1. Enjoy our museums on campus

We have lots of museums right here on the Bloomsbury campus for you to visit in-person and free of charge. The Grant Museum of Zoology, Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology and UCL Art Museum are open with reduced visitor numbers, pre-booking and safety measures in place. We’re offering slots just for students every Wednesday from 1pm - 5pm.

Attend our various museum and collection based events - there's something for everyone!

2. Say hello to Jeremy Bentham and explore the campus

Sat within a glass case in the Student Centre, you might be taken by surprise by Jeremy Bentham’s Auto-icon. Born in 1748, Bentham was one of the world’s great thinkers and had much to say on prison reform, religion, international law, animal welfare, women’s suffrage and sexual liberty. When he died he requested that his body be turned into an ‘Auto-icon’ which you can now see at the heart of the UCL campus.

Find out more about the Auto-icon

Here are some other interesting events that'll help you to explore the campus

While you’re there, check out the contemporary art on display in the Student Centre including digital animation HERE NOT by Thomson & Craighead and a specially commissioned work by Turner-prize winning artist Rachel Whiteread.

3. Learn about failure in our latest exhibition

Our free exhibition 'FLOP: 13 stories of failure' in the Octagon Gallery shows how mistakes can lead to unexpected discoveries. Discover the accidental invention of silly putty and the gruesome blood-letting devices and poisonous pills endured by patients in the 19th.  We’ve also created an exhibition podcast for you to download.

Find out more about FLOP: 13 Stories of Failure

4. Get involved in theatre and performance

Getting involved in the arts is a fantastic way to meet people and be inspired.  Sadly, the Bloomsbury Theatre is temporarily closed this term due to coronavirus. However, you can book tickets for 2021 performances including Julian Clary, Larry Dean and Jenny Eclair. Or why not join a student society and perform yourself?  Last academic year, members of the Musical Theatre Society put on performances of American Idiot and Legally Blonde.

Attend our various theatre and performance based events here. 

5. Be playful online…

There’s so much you can do virtually with UCL Culture. Test your art knowledge with our British art quiz with the Guardian or play our new virtual museum game You See All and travel to a parallel version of the UCL Bloomsbury campus. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or browse thousands of our digitised collections online (some of which you can even download as Zoom backgrounds).

Find out more

6. Make a difference at UCL

Want to get involved with the UCL and wider communities around Bloomsbury and London but not sure where to start? Well attend our various events aimed at helping you make a difference and make friends whilst you're at it!

Make a difference at UCL and in our wider community at these events.

What’s next?

This is just the start of your journey with UCL Culture.  There are so many opportunities for you to get involved in, from research placements and volunteering, to gaining support from our Public Engagement team on connected learning and working with local communities and schools.  

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