Centre for Data Science & AI

Newspeak, Oldspeak and the Unspoken? The Power of Language to Shape the World

Nearly eighty years after Orwell's book, 1984, questions about language, power and truth remain as relevant as ever.

In 1984, Orwell imagined a world in which language was used to narrow thought and limit what people could imagine.

This ARC Conversations panel explores how language shapes the worlds we inhabit - from the language of data and policy to literature, art and public discourse. Bringing together academics and practitioners from different fields, the discussion will examine how knowledge is produced, whose voices are heard, what remains unsaid and how language can both constrain and expand our collective futures.

The session

Chair: Dominic Paterson, Professor of History of Art

Panel:

  • Annette Hastings, Professor of Urban Studies at the University of Glasgow
  • Ana Basiri, Professor of Geospatial Data Science at the University of Glasgow
  • Chris Hannan, Award-winning Playwright and Adapter of Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four

After the panel session stay for drinks, networking and take the opportunity to visit the accompanying visual art installation in the ARC - a sculpture, a library, a museum, a curiosity, a venue, consisting of 1,984 copies of George Orwell’s iconic novel ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’, donated and sourced from around the world. ‘The Library’ forms a living, touring artwork and a forum for creativity, curiosity and conversation - on show at the ARC from 2nd-20th September.

 

Agenda:

16:00 -16:30 – Welcome and panel discussion

16:30 -17:00 - Audience discussion and Q&A

17:00 -17:30 - Drinks

First published: 22 October 2026

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