Join award-winning author and adventurer Charles Foster for a thought-provoking talk exploring what it means to be human.

Join Charles Foster, a New York Times-bestselling-author, for a thought-provoking talk exploring what it means to be human.

For most of our history we have been wandering hunter-gatherers. The settled, modern lifestyles we know today are a very recent development, and, Foster argues, not always to our benefit. To better understand our modern-day lifestyles, he has immersed himself in three pivotal periods of human history: the Upper Palaeolithic, the Neolithic and the Enlightenment. Through these experiences, he explores what it feels like to live in each era and asks what they can teach us about living well in the present.

Charles Foster is a writer, traveller and Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford. His acclaimed books include Being a Beast, a New York Times bestseller that won international recognition for its imaginative exploration of the natural world.

Booking

£10

£5 SAW Members/Concessions

Somerset Art Weeks Festival: Cultural Connections

Discover Cultural Connections, a major programme of contemporary art, archaeology and community engagement at Somerset Rural Life Museum. Developed and commissioned by Somerset Art Works in partnership with the South West Heritage Trust, the programme explores the rich cultural heritage that has shaped Somerset across millennia through exhibitions, events and creative participation.

Opening on 12 September 2026, Cultural Connections unfolds across three spaces within the Museum. The programme is a highlight of the Somerset Art Weeks Festival (19 September – 4 October 2026) and continues beyond the festival, with the Abbey Barn and Granary exhibitions on display until 31 October 2026, and the Mapstone Gallery exhibition continuing until 5 December 2026.

Concessions Include

Students aged 18-25, those receiving Pension Credit, those receiving benefits (income support, Employment and Support Allowance, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Universal Credit.) Carers are not required to purchase an admission ticket.

Description supplied by the event organiser.