Skip to the content
The image shows three square black speech bubbles with the words "Off The Shelf Festival of Words" written inside inside in a white font. The image shows two square black speech bubbles with the words "Off The Shelf Festival of Words" written inside inside in a white font.

Off the Shelf: Tripping the Neon Fantastic – Vanessa Toulmin

Sun 25 October 2026 , 6pm-7pm

Millennium Gallery

For many years Professor Vanessa Toulmin has nurtured a secret passion… It has seen her travel the world in her pursuit of this obsession. From the bright lights of Austin to the lightscape of Blackpool, her love of neon has remained unquenched.  Join us for a night of discovery on the history of Neon Lights taking us on from Paris to Sheffield from Los Angeles to Wakefield as Vanessa reveals its history in the United Kingdom, its problematic past and its embrace by contemporary artists over the last fifty years.

 

Vanessa Toulmin is a Professor of Early Film and Popular Entertainment in the School of English at the University of Sheffield. She is Director of Off the Shelf Festival of Words and Festival of the Mind.

 

This event is part of Off the Shelf: Festival of Words from the University of Sheffield. The full festival programme is available here: https://offtheshelf.org.uk/events/ 

 

The event is organised by the Off the Shelf Festival. Views expressed at this event do not reflect those of Sheffield Museums. 

Stay up-to-date with what’s on

Subscribe to our e-newsletter to find out about upcoming exhibitions, events, activities and more

Plan your visit

Find out everything you need to plan your visit, from getting here to onsite facilities.

Find out more

More upcoming events at Millennium Gallery

View all

Support Us

Sheffield Museums is a charity. Your support helps keep your museums open and free for everyone to enjoy.

Read more