By the Seine – Vincent van Gogh – Paris, May-July 1887
Van Gogh Museum (September 22, 2023) – In the 19th century, bridges and trains made it easier to visit places outside of Paris. And yet smoking factory chimneys increasingly dominated the horizon. This exhibition reveals how artists captured these changes in their artworks.
‘And when I painted landscape in Asnières this summer I saw more colour in it than before.’
Vincent van Gogh to his sister Willemien van Gogh, late October 1887
Bank of the Seine – Vincent van Gogh – Paris, May-July 1887
‘Van Gogh along the Seine’
13 October 2023 until 14 January 2024
Five ambitious artists – Van Gogh, Seurat, Signac, Bernard and Angrand – travelled to the banks of the Seine to paint. Surrounded by green, they captured the changes ushered in by the burgeoning industry. Here they found new, contemporary motifs and developed their use of colour and painting techniques. Asnières had a particular impact on the artistic development of these artists.
The governor of New Jersey called on Senator Robert Menendez to resign. The senator stepped down from his chairmanship of the Foreign Relations Committee.
The surge of migrants trekking north mostly from South America has placed increasing pressure on Mexico as the country applies a range of tactics to quell arrivals.
Inside the Deal to Free 5 American Prisoners in Iran
U.S. negotiators say the release of the prisoners is proof that even fierce adversaries can sometimes find their way to an agreement. But the deal almost didn’t happen.
For South Korea’s Senior Subway Riders, the Joy Is in the Journey
The fare is free for those older than 65, and so some retired people spend their days riding the trains to the end of the line.
THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE (September 22, 2023): The 9.24.23 Issue features Hannah Dreier on migrant children working in dangerous conditions; McKenzie Funk on Hank Asher, a drug smuggler who became a pioneer in data mining; Sonia Shah on new research that suggests animals are saying more than we think; and more.
Language was long understood as a human-only affair. New research suggests that isn’t so.
Can a mouse learn a new song?
Such a question might seem whimsical. Though humans have lived alongside mice for at least 15,000 years, few of us have ever heard mice sing, because they do so in frequencies beyond the range detectable by human hearing. As pups, their high-pitched songs alert their mothers to their whereabouts; as adults, they sing in ultrasound to woo one another. For decades, researchers considered mouse songs instinctual, the fixed tunes of a windup music box, rather than the mutable expressions of individual minds.
Last year, UNESCO officially deemed harissa, the brick red, aromatic chile paste, “an integral part of domestic provisions and the daily culinary and food traditions of Tunisian society.” Keyword: Tunisian.
Those ready to write off the country underestimate the resources of policy makers and the power of an $18 trillion economy that is home to 1.4 billion people.Long read
At various moments in “Elon Musk,” Walter Isaacson’s new biography of the world’s richest person, the author tries to make sense of the billionaire entrepreneur he has shadowed for two years — sitting in on meetings, getting a peek at emails and texts, engaging in “scores of interviews and late-night conversations.” Musk is a mercurial “man-child,” Isaacson writes, who was bullied relentlessly as a kid in South Africa until he grew big enough to beat up his bullies. Musk talks about having Asperger’s, which makes him “bad at picking up social cues.” As the people closest to him will attest, he lacks empathy — something that Isaacson describes as a “gene” that’s “hard-wired.”
“The Vaster Wilds” follows a girl’s escape from a nameless colonial settlement into the unforgiving terrain of America.
By Fiona Mozley
Jamestown, Va., the first permanent English settlement in the Americas, very nearly didn’t survive. A few years into its existence, in the early 1600s, the majority of the population had succumbed to famine and disease. The period known as the Starving Time has taken on allegorical status. Jamestown is the colony that tried too much too soon; that underestimated the harsh climate, the foreign land, its existing, Indigenous population. Pilgrims went in search of heaven and found hell.
The Local Project (September 22, 2023) – In a nuanced response to landscape, Winter Creek is a modern house in a hidden forest – a seamless reflection of the expansive farm in which the home resides.
Video timeline:00:00 – Introduction to the Modern House 00:52 – The Location of the Home 01:11 – The Design Approach 01:44 – Rewarding Aspects of the Design 02:00 – History of the Land 02:25 – Format of the Home 02:45 – A Clean and Modern Design 03:28 – Creating A Mood with Materials 03:50 – The Laminex Process 04:08 – Favourite Aspects
SOS Architects draws on modernist design principles combined with subdued interiors by Studio Tom to create a dwelling that is clean, modern and considered so that it doesn’t compete with the site but, instead, harmonises with it. Located in Trentham, Victoria, Winter Creek is a single-storey, contemporary home that nestles into the site. SOS Architects deeply considered the placement of the house to ensure it both complemented and responded to the site.
The architectural approach used for the modern house in a hidden forest was grounded in a contemporary, sleek design. The form of Winter Creek consists of two distinct volumes – a floating roof that connects to the landscape, which encompasses the main living zones, and the ‘flat box’ section that is more private and introspective, housing the bedrooms and bathrooms. A key feature of the design is also the transparency of the dwelling. At many intersections, one can see through the house, further connecting the home to the landscape.
The interior design approach was very much an extension of the architectural design, with Studio Tom collaborating with SOS Architects to create a modern house in a hidden forest that feels seamless and cohesive. The palette is subdued, dominated by charcoal, neutral and grey tones, and furnishings are minimalist and refined. These choices mean the interior continues the theme of blending into the misty, grey, wintery scenes typical of the landscape beyond. Continuing the seamless aesthetic that defines this modern house in a hidden forest, the AbsoluteMatte range from Laminex was used throughout the interior.
The Times and The Sunday Times (September 22, 2023) – Embark on a captivating 150-mile cycling journey with Simon Parker as he pedals through the scenic landscapes of Northern Ireland. From the rain-soaked back roads of County Down to the lush orchards of County Armagh, this adventure offers more than just picturesque views.
Discover why Armagh is dubbed the ‘Orchard of Ireland,’ and learn about its unique Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status, putting it on par with renowned products like Parma ham and champagne. Experience the tranquility of Strangford Lough, the British Isles’ largest sea inlet, and delve into its rich marine life that supplies some of the UK’s finest restaurants.
At Scopers in Dundrum, feast on fast food reimagined with locally-sourced, sustainable produce. This journey is not just a feast for the eyes but also for the palate, showcasing Northern Ireland’s burgeoning food tourism scene.
The Globalist Podcast (September 22, 2023) – Poland has decided to stop sending weapons to Ukraine: how did it get to this point?
Plus: Rupert Murdoch steps down as chair of Fox and News Corp, Estonian filmmaker Ilmar Raag explains why saunas are being sent to the Ukrainian frontline and a flick through today’s papers.
The situation provides ammunition to conservative Republicans who are vowing to shut down the government unless Congress agrees to harsh new anti-immigration measures.
As Armenia and Azerbaijan Clash, Russia Is a Distracted Spectator
In the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, Russia, drained by the war in Ukraine, seemed incapable of acting as the indispensable power capable of knocking heads together.
What Happens When Wall Street Buys Most of the Homes on Your Block?
Investors were largely uninterested in wealthier enclaves. Instead, they targeted middle-income neighborhoods, many with larger Black and Latino populations.
The Booker Prize (September 20, 2023) – The shortlist has been announced! It features six books by authors never previously shortlisted, including two debuts.
Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2023. A patch of ice on the road, a casual favour to a charming stranger, a bee caught beneath a bridal veil – can a single moment of bad luck change the direction of a life?
Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2023. Chetna Maroo’s tender and moving debut novel about grief, sisterhood, a teenage girl’s struggle to transcend herself – and squash
Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2023. A mother faces a terrible choice, in Paul Lynch’s exhilarating, propulsive and confrontational portrait of a society on the brink
Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2023. Full of lyricism and power, Paul Harding’s spellbinding novel celebrates the hopes, dreams and resilience of those deemed not to fit in a world brutally intolerant of difference
Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2023. An exhilarating novel-in-stories that pulses with style, heart and barbed humour, while unravelling what it means to carve out an existence between cultures, homes and pay cheques
Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2023. In her accomplished and unsettling second novel, Sarah Bernstein explores themes of prejudice, abuse and guilt through the eyes of a singularly unreliable narrator
The Local Project
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