Our Conservation Fellow, Kendall Francis takes a closer look at indigo, a blue dye and pigment extracted from the leaves of plants, and how it is used and represented in paintings in our collection.
Kendall’s research reveals histories that are not explicitly portrayed in the paintings and highlights the important contributions from a wider range of people, including the enslaved people who cultivated the crops and extracted the indigo against their will. Supported using public funding by Arts Council England.
The Cultured Traveller, December 2021-February 2022 Issue 36
The seat of the world’s longest living monarch, brimming with culture and theatrics in every facet of its being and constantly moving forwards to adapt to the ever-changing planet, the multicultural heart of the British Commonwealth is undoubtedly one of the world’s greatest cities. In issue 36 of The Cultured Traveller, the team explores charismatic LONDON to provide the ultimate insider guide to the great British capital. Permanently glamorous British actress DAME JOAN COLLINS finds time in her hectic schedule to chat about her devilish new book, while interior designer ALEXANDRA CHAMPALIMAUD speaks to The Cultured Traveller about transforming some of the world’s most iconic hotels. Sam Henderson explores the otherworldly landscapes of YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, complete with its steaming geysers and bubbling mud pools. Alex Benasuli enjoys the unassuming sophistication of laidback SHELTER ISLAND in the Hamptons. And Joe Mortimer visits GLENMORANGIE’s innovative new distillery in Scotland.
The city of Zwickau in eastern Germany has a long and varied history of car production and industrial design. Its story is told in the August Horch Museum – beginning with the production of Horch cars, to Audis, to the East German car, the Trabant.
On her trip to Zwickau, Hannah Hummel discovers the city’s car history, as well as its art and cultural history. Both the composer Robert Schumann and the expressionist painter and printmaker Max Pechstein were born in Zwickau. This episode of Destination Culture also takes viewers to Schneeberg – a creative hub in Saxony, where students from around the world study fashion and textile design.
Video timeline: 00:00 Intro 01:00 Car museum Zwickau 02:47 Recreating the Horch 14-17 04:49 Trabant – the GDR cult car 06:41 Hannah driving a Trabant 10:53 Composer Robert Schumann’s birthplace 11:49 Max Pechstein Museum 13:13 Werdau, meeting photographer Philipp Gladsome 16:18 Schneeberg, University of Applied Arts 18:46 Fashion design student Ridhima Wadhwa from Gujarat, India 22:05 Miner’s parade 23:45 Fashion designer Franziska Heinze
There is a very well-known story called “Chushingura” in Japan. It is the story of 47 samurai who gave their lives to avenge the honor of their lord. It inspired over 4,000 ukiyo-e woodblock prints. Performed on stage over 7,000 times in various genres. More than 300 years later, the story continues to inspire novelists and filmmakers. Ako Castle is where the story began. The 47 samurai were the retainers of the Ako clan. The video starts off with this side story, then focuses on the characteristics, the structure of the castle, and the financial support achieved by innovative salt production.
Film Director: Tadahiro Konoe Film Producer: Tadahiro Konoe Production Company: curioswitch Inc. Client: Ako City (Hyogo prefecture, Japan)
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world.
@Oculus Films presents incredible India cinematography 4k film 60fps travel video shot on Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K BMPCC4K and various other best cinema cameras showcasing Indians’ lifestyles, India street tour, slum areas of India, festivals of India for example Indian Holi, colors of India, Indian streets and streets’ lives, Indian villages, Indian cultures, Indian railway, India vegetable and meat markets, Indian kids, India time lapses and many more.
Video timeline: 0:00 Starts 0:06 India Shores and Beaches 0:29 India Railways and Streets’ Lifestyles 0:43 India Vegetables Markets 0:59 India Meat Markets 1:08 India Holi Festival 1:36 India Tarpa Music Instrument 1:49 Indian Lifestyles 2:28 India Factories and Mills 2:58 Indian Classic Dance 3:19 Indian Kids 3:35 Indian Village Lifestyle 4:30 Indian Street and India Streets’ Lifestyles and Indian Families 5:35 Colors of India ( Indian Festivals and Indian Religious Events ) 5:49 India Roads and India Time lapse
Destination Culture: In this episode, Hannah Hummel’s road trip through Saxony takes her to Glashütte. Germans are known for being punctual, and Glashütte is known for watchmaking. Hannah also visits the Ore Mountains and heads underground. In Freiberg, she meets a student from Sri Lanka who has made the silver-mining town her temporary home.
Video timeline: 00:00 Intro 00:46 The city of Glashütte 01:08 German Watch Museum 04:14 NOMOS, largest manufacturer of mechancial watches in Germany 08:00 Schwarzwassertal or Black Water Valley in the Ore Mountains 11:14 The city of Altenberg 12:02 Altenberg Sinkhole 13:13 Visitor Mine Zinnwald 15:54 Mining Museum Altenberg 17:29 Arno-Lippmann-Schacht 18:01 The ‘Silver City’ Freiberg 18:29 Cathedral of St Mary 21:58 Student Jamana Amiruddeen from Sri Lanka 24:48 Bergmusikkorps Saxonia Freiberg
EGOT winner Rita Moreno, who was an original cast member of the 1961 film, joins Spielberg’s film as a consultant and opens up about years of battling colorism in Hollywood.
Monocle’s December/January issue is packed full of insights and inspiration to see you through to the new year, from our annual Soft Power Survey to a look into Detroit’s thriving art scene.