A new collaboration between World Human Forum and the University of Oxford’s Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities brings Delos into the spotlight through a unique artistic project exploring the interconnectedness of humanity and nature
An island of exceptional significance in mythology and history: Delos. A gathering of distinguished creative voices, inspired by our shared home, the Earth. From 6 to 13 November 2026, the mythical birthplace of Apollo and Artemis travels to Oxford through ALPHA MISSION – DELOS, an initiative of World Human Forum which, since 2021, has been bringing together mythology and cultural heritage with art, science and space exploration, highlighting the urgent need to protect our planet and all forms of life.
On 6 and 7 November, Orbiting Orbital will receive its world premiere. This original, multi-disciplinary production by the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities brings acclaimed composer and musician Nitin Sawhney into creative dialogue with author Samantha Harvey. Inspired by Harvey’s Booker Prize-winning novel Orbital, the work features new poems and musical compositions, alongside specially selected drawings by Antony Gormley and photographs by Mary McCartney. Alexandra Mitsotaki, President and Co-Founder of World Human Forum, will join Nitin Sawhney, Samantha Harvey and Professor Yadvinder Malhi for the discussion The Making of Orbiting Orbital on Saturday 7 November. Members of the World Human Forum team will also play an active role in the artistic performance.
Meanwhile, opening on 6 November, Mary McCartney’s photography exhibition A New Dawn, at the Great Hall of the Schwarzman Centre, offers a different way of experiencing the Cycladic island. Shifting our attention from Delos’s celebrated ancient ruins to the plants and other forms of life that inhabit them, the renowned photographer invites us to see the island not simply as a remnant of the past, but as a living ecosystem where history, nature and mythology converge. The exhibition brings the narrative and message of ALPHA MISSION – DELOS into Oxford’s international academic and artistic setting: that humanity is part of an interconnected world, and that protecting our planet is essential to our shared future. The exhibition will be on view in Oxford until 13 November 2026 and will travel to Delos in summer 2027.
Orbiting Orbital is a collaboration between Nitin Sawhney, Samantha Harvey, Antony Gormley, Mary McCartney, Territory Studio and World Human Forum. A New Dawn is a collaboration between Mary McCartney, The Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, World Human Forum and the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades.
