Clips
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Elbow
Miranda Sawyer catches up with Elbow in their home town of Manchester to discuss their latest album, based on the bittersweet adolescent memories of front man Guy Garvey.
Elbow's website -
The street artist JR
Alastair Sooke travels to Paris to interview reclusive and anonymous street artist JR, recent recipient of the 2011 TED Prize awarded to people whose work has had a positive impact on society. Working with volunteers in urban environments, JR’s work incorporates large scale canvases, from large photos of the dispossessed in well-heeled neighbourhoods of Paris to images of local women in Kibera, Kenya. Alastair Sooke discusses the impact of his very public works in unexpected places.
JR's website -
Philip Hoare explores the role of the whale in Moby Dick
Having been awarded the Samuel Johnson Prize in 2009 for Leviathan; his book about his life long love obsession with whales, Philip Hoare looks at this great creature’s role as a surprising muse for artists, writers and directors. This month, two exhibitions of work inspired by the whale, open in London and Plymouth and there’s a marathon performance of Moby Dick with actors and artists joining scientists and naturalists to each read a chapter from Melville’s book.
Philip Hoare's website -
Rankin delves into the BBC Archive
Photographer Rankin selects his favourite snaps from the BBC archives, exploring Richard Avedon, Don McCullin and David Bailey.
Rankin's website -
Jan Gossaert's An Elderly Couple
Andrew Graham Dixon visits the National Galleries’ exhibition of paintings by the 16th century Flemish artist, Jan Gossaert. During a year long sojourn to Rome, Gossaert experienced the wonders of Roman antiquity and early Italian Renaissance Art first hand, and on returning to the Netherlands, began to forge a new artistic style which fused historical and mythological subject matter with sensuous depictions of the female form. Andrew Graham Dixon reclaims this modern master from relative obscurity and argues that the work on display changed the course of Northern Art, paving the way for later giants such as Peter Paul Ruebens.
Jan Gossaert at The National Gallery exhibition page
Copyright The National Gallery -
Lindsay Johns looks at Terence Rattigan
This year marks the centenary of playwright Terence Rattigan’s birth, and The West Yorkshire Playhouse and London’s Old Vic are resurrecting two of his most famous works, Deep Blue Sea and Cause Célèbre. Rattigan’s well made middle class plays fell out of fashion amidst the rise of social realism in the mid 50s. However, Classicist and unashamed Rattigan fan, Lindsay Johns, argues that it's time to reassess Rattigan’s relevance in the 21st century and talks to Maxine Peake and Anne-Marie Duff about their roles in these latest stage versions of his work.
Terence Rattigan's website -
Guy Walters on Comment Britain
Historian, journalist and blogger Guy Walters looks at the more extreme side of online behaviour and our propensity to comment on whatever we please in whatever manner we like. He questions whether response comments on websites are desirable and what those comments tell us about the intellectual state of Britain.
Guy Walters Profile -
Richard Brooks looks at World Heritage Sites
Now they attract thousands of tourists every year, but from poor portaloos to dire visitor centres, Richard Brooks decries the state of the nation’s World Heritage sites.
UNESCO World Heritage Centre Website
Credits
- Series Producer
- Emily Kennedy
- Series Producer
- Pauline Law
- Series Editor
- Janet Lee
- Presenter
- Andrew Graham-Dixon
