Arcades Walk

A morning of Benjamin-inspired flânerie through Birmingham's shopping arcades.

“To lose one’s way in a city, as one loses one’s way in a forest, requires some schooling.” – Walter Benjamin

To help you tune into Walter Benjamin’s wavelength before Citation City, join Esther Leslie (Birkbeck) and Ben Waddington (Still Walking) on a wander through the arcades of Birmingham. Along the way, Leslie will explore the attraction that arcades held for Benjamin as a source of unexpected connections and echoes of the past. Image: La Place de l'Europe, temps de pluie (1877) by Gustave Caillebotte