What's On

Tai Chi provides core balance, harmony, and wellbeing. Although considered a martial art, Tai Chi is also meditative and an energising exercise.  On this course, seasoned tutor Devdan will guide students through Part 2 of the traditional long form of the Yang style.   Students are advised to wear comfortable clothing to allow stretching and smooth-soled exercise […]

Tai Chi provides core balance, harmony, and wellbeing. Although considered a martial art, Tai Chi is also meditative and an energising exercise. Continuing through Part 3, experienced Devdan will guide students through the progression of the 108 movements of the traditional long form of the Yang style.   Students are advised to wear comfortable clothing to allow […]

Tai Chi provides core balance, harmony, and wellbeing. Although considered a martial art, Tai Chi is also meditative and an energising exercise.  For those who have completed and assimilated the 108 Yang Long Form, this course works on refining the flow of the movements and explores related forms such as 24, 48 and sword.   Students are […]

The existence of evil in the world is considered by many to be highly problematic for the claim that God exists. This course considers (rationally and rigorously) the problem of evil, and an influential response made to one variety of the problem by the American philosopher, Alvin Plantinga. It also considers two highly influential explanations […]

Literally meaning ‘Life Energy Cultivation’, Qigong has its roots in Chinese medicine, philosophy, Tai Chi and martial arts. A holistic system of coordinated body posture, movement, and breathing, Qigong is beneficial for health and balance. The cultivation of Chi (Qi) – the flow of energy – enables meditation through mindful movement of the body.   Students […]

Tai Chi provides core balance, harmony, and wellbeing. Although considered a martial art, Tai Chi is also meditative and an energising exercise.  On this course, tutor Devdan will introduce Yang Style Tai Chi concentrating on short forms; a series of continuous, flowing movements which are performed slowly and gracefully. The forms are learnt gradually, posture by […]

Enjoy developing and channelling your writing abilities. Writing forms covered include novels, plays, poems, short stories, and memoirs. Classes will cover many aspects of writing, such as getting started, shaping stories, creating characters, guidelines on getting published. With an emphasis on individual development, there will be reading and discussion of your work in a friendly […]

Caravaggio. Visionary superstar of the early 17th century Baroque? Baroque bad boy? Moody, violent, rule breaker? A weapon of the Roman church’s Counter Reformation? Live hard, die young? Scandalous iconoclast? Or all the above? Let’s have a look!  This is a repeat course. 

In this course we will explore the rich variety of themes and styles of such contrasting ground-breaking poets including T.S. Eliot, W.H. Auden, Dylan Thomas, Walt Whitman, Wilfred Owen and Thomas Hardy. We will explore the poetry’s depth of feeling and relation to world events, with some consideration of the musicality created by forms, such […]

One of the first artists to appreciate Welsh scenery was the Welsh-born eighteenth century painter, Richard Wilson. As The taste for wild and dramatic scenes grew, Wales became an essential destination for nineteenth century landscapists, including De Loutherbourg, Turner, Samuel Palmer, and the watercolourist David Cox.  It continued to inspire painters, including Graham Sutherland, into […]

This foundation course is for people with no or little knowledge of the Italian language and culture and will enable the participants to feel comfortable when exchanging basic personal information in informal conversations. You will also learn how to ask for directions, order food and drinks, book tickets and accommodation. Basic reading and writing will […]

John Keats (1795 - 1921) was the ‘bright star’ of the Romantic Poets, along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. Though indifferently received in his lifetime, his fame grew rapidly after his untimely death, aged 25. Over two weeks, we will look at a range of Keats’ poetry.  We will discuss his ideas about […]

Alla prima is a painting technique that involves applying wet paint to wet paint; the term is Italian for "at first attempt".  This course will give you a taste of this layering technique. As the layering and drying process takes time, the aim will be to take away a completed oil painting by the end of the […]

Guitarist Nicolas Meier and acoustic bassist Ben Hazelton invite you to look at the life and music of bassist and composer Charles Mingus. His most famous record was Mingus ah um. Together Nicolas and Ben will look at Mingus’s playing style, his compositions and discuss his input and influence on jazz music. They will play […]

Red Arrows pilots are amongst the most highly-skilled and experienced within the Royal Air Force. This talk explores the history of RAF Aerobatics teams and includes a look at what goes into making the RAF Red Arrows the premier aerobatics team in the world. Guy is an aviation historian and trainer and will use archive […]

Do you want to practise your French by engaging in conversation with others? Join native speaker Julie, to practise and exchange with others on a wide range of topics. In a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, you will strengthen and expand your knowledge of the French language. This course is aimed at those who are confident […]

Life in Cornwall from the late nineteenth century to the Second World War will be explored using writers such as Daphne du Maurier, and Helen Dunmore, amongst others.  Painters from the Newlyn School, Lamorna Cove and St. Ives before 1939 will be studied.  These include Stanhope Forbes, Laura Knight and Ben Nicholson along with many […]

Come along to our informal, community group, where you can learn and share crafting skills with likeminded people. Be part of a fun, friendly and supportive group. Please bring along any projects that you are working on, be it knitting, crochet, embroidery or needlepoint, felting, cross stitch or punch-needle! Alternate Fridays Contact: info@guildford-institute.org.uk