Country Life Magazine – August 9, 2023:The art of the shell seeker; High time – the daring life of a steeplejack; Animal architects; grand rentals and Thelwell’s legacy…
The master builders of the British countryside
Exploring labyrinthine tunnels and forest skyscrapers, John Lewis-Stempel gets lost in the world of animal architecture
Grace and favour rooms
Many grand country houses are now welcoming overnight guests. Rosie Paterson checks in
Always reaching for the stars
Ben Lerwill requires a head for heights as he meets steeplejacks working at the top of their game
Mike Olbinski Films (August 8, 2023) – Vorticity 5 took two years to film. Tens of thousands of miles across the central United States, from Montana to the Texas/Mexico border. A few hundred thousand shutter clicks. Loads of McDonalds, Subway and Allsups.
The most epic, cheap motels. And countless, stunning storms. This is the first time for any movie of mine where I have tornadoes AND haboobs make appearances. The haboob (dust storm) happened in May of 2022 in southwest Kansas. It was amazing and unexpected. Of all the clips that make up this film, I’m the most proud of that one.
It was like my world of chasing in Arizona finally collided with the universe of supercells and tornadoes on the plains. I hope you enjoy this film. The colors, the storms, the lightning, the twisters and the dust. It’s everything I love, everything I am continually awestruck by no matter how long I do this.
The Local Project (August 8, 2023) – An inspiring renovation of an existing housing estate – The Secret Garden House that is Mount Eagle Estate – has since retained its relevance to influence a recent renovation by Zen Architects of one of the estate’s original homes, a secret Garden House.
Video timeline:00:00 – Introduction to the Secret Garden House 00:42 – The Original House 01:04 – The Project Brief for the Home 01:30 – The Material Palette 02:00 – A Walkthrough of the Secret Garden House 02:55 – The Kitchen 03:38 – Enhancing the Existing Garden and Landscape 04:30 – Favourite Aspects of the House
Zen Architects enhances the existing natural landscape and ties the garden back into the home. The midcentury architecture of the secret Garden House had been subjected to minimal changes over the years. Referencing the estate’s design and teardrop shape of the community gardens that once populated it, Zen Architects reflected the curved topographical gestures and fluidity with a desire to subdue the house and make the landscape the hero. Light now enters the house at every opportunity, as do views of the garden beyond.
At the front, the secret Garden House is largely in its original form, although updates have been made through furniture and by optimising thermal comfort – insulating floors and ceilings, and fitting seals and flyscreens to windows. The result is a fully electric home that captures the spirit and beauty of its original 1930s form and exceeds the contemporary 6-star home energy rating.
Upon entry, one is immediately greeted with a panoramic view of the garden beyond – Zen Architects retains the original façade and the front three rooms to provide an unassuming entry that heightens the impact of the interventions beyond. Moving into the extension of the secret Garden House, elements of the landscape – including rock forms, native vegetation and gum trees – inform the natural and organic material palette of the home.
Natural History Museum (August 8, 2023) – The Isle of Wight is a traditional British holiday resort. It’s well-known for its beautiful sandy beaches, dramatic cliffs, stunning countryside and many tourist attractions.
Video timeline:0:00 A brief history of the Isle of Wight 1:13 Theo Vickers tells us about the geology of the island 1:35 Jack Wonfor talks about the diversity of fossil remains and how it is the best place in Europe for dinosaur discovery 2:02 Dr Susannah Maidment explains as to why the island is so good for dinosaur finds 2:35 Over 20 dinosaur species so far have been discovered on the Isle of Wight 2:52 Prof Paul Barrett tells us about the early palaeontologists, including William Fox and Sir Richard Owen 3:15 The Isle of Wight early dinosaur discoveries helped form much of what we know about dinosaurs today. 3:50 Original dinosaur discoveries are still relevant today. 4:15 New dinosaurs still being found today. 4:33 The dinosaurs found on the Isle of Wight. Iguanodon, Polacanthus, Omithopods, Sauropods, Neovenator and Eotyrannus. 5:26 How could you make your own discovery? 5:34 Techniques for finding dinosaur remains. 6:06 Dinosaur Island, the Isle of Wight’s excellent museum of geology, where there are many dinosaurs and fossils. 6:52 Why the Isle of Wight is a lovely place to visit. 7:08 how it is so easy to find a fossil on the beach.
But did you know that it is also the best place in Europe to find dinosaurs and the fossils of numerous other prehistoric animals, from ammonites to alligators?
Join our palaeontologists Dr Susannah Maidment and Professor Paul Barrett, as well as local experts, to discover what makes the Isle of Wight so special to them.
Art in America Magazine (August 8, 2023) – The issue features Fall 2023: Icons – Artists who have made an impact, plus The Ruscha Effect, Cave_bureau, Pippa Garner, Marfa vs. Naoshima, Françoise Gilot, and more.
Suzanne Jackson: a history drawing-cracked wall, 2016–19.PHOTO TIMOTHY DOYON/COURTESY ORTUZAR PROJECTS, NEW YORK
Suzanne Jackson, whose work a history drawing-cracked wall (2016–19) features on the cover of the Fall 2023 issue of Art in America in a detail of the larger work shown here in full, told A.i.A. the backstory of her creation from her home in Savannah, Georgia. (Jackson is also the subject of a feature profile in the same issue.)
As told to A.i.A. The “history” in history drawing is thehistory of making the drawing. Over the three years I was working on it—it’s a big drawing—the whole process just happens from day to day: you’re adding something new, building it, working through composition and how elements come into the spaces in different ways. Each time you come back to work on it, something new has happened in your life.
The Globalist Podcast, Tuesday, August 8 2023: Monocle’s US editor, Christopher Lord, examines what is behind the US’s summer of strikes.
Also in the programme: we discuss a foiled assassination plot in Ukraine; Tomohiko Taniguchi, former special advisor to the cabinet of Shinzo Abe, joins us to discuss the Iran-Japan talks; and the latest news from the Baltics and Scandinavia. Plus, the search for a mythical monster intensifies in Loch Ness.
Journalists from The Times spent two weeks with troops from brigades trained and supplied by NATO to get their take on how, and where, the counteroffensive is going.
The election on Tuesday highlights how Republican legislators are using their power in Ohio and elsewhere.
Xi Rebuilt the Military to His Liking. Now a Shake-Up Threatens Its Image.
Xi Jinping, China’s leader, set out to clean up the military a decade ago. But now his crown jewel, the missile force, is under a shadow.
The Secret Hand Behind the Women Who Stood by Cuomo? His Sister.
For nearly two years, Madeline Cuomo quietly worked with grass-roots activists to help smear her brother’s accusers. He was “seeing everything,” she told his defenders.
News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious
The Local Project
Natural History Museum
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