What does absolute darkness feel like? Not the kind that comes from switching off lights in your house, or stepping out in the city at midnight, but true, deep darkness. Dr Jacqueline Yallop delves into the enigma of darkness with this lecture. Looking at how science, art, literature and psychology have shaped our understanding of darkness, and how our imaginations continue to be inspired by it, she considers what darkness means to us, as individuals and societies, now and in the past. Yallop teaches prose and creative writing at the University of Aberystwyth. She is the author of two novels and three works of non-fiction.