The Globalist (March 6, 2024): Following Germany’s embarrassing military leak, we discuss the country’s policy on the war in Ukraine.
Also, we give you the latest on the US’s decision to impose fresh sanctions on Zimbabwe’s president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, and Monocle’s Tom Edwards checks in from the Sustainable Cities in Action Forum in Dubai.
The Local Project (March 5, 2024) – A highly minimalist, almost invisible home, The Invisible House reflects the natural beauty and art of the desert landscape. A 1,680-square-metre, three-bedroom, four-bathroom invisible home cantilevered 30 metres off the ground, Invisible House is the innovative and imaginative collaboration between film producers and owners Chris and Roberta Hanley and architect Tomas Osinski.
Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Invisible Home 01:07 – The Evolution of the Landscape 01:56 – Conceptualising the Home 02:49 – An External Illusion 03:30 – The Material Palette 04:08 – Surprising Theatrical Moments 04:42 – Proud Moments
The invisible home is located on 36 hectares of land in Joshua Tree National Park and features a mirrored exterior to reflect the ever-changing landscape and create a dialogue between object and site. “We were drawn to the desert of Joshua Tree. We would always come out here, we see it as an escape,” says Chris. “We were looking for a place with rocks … and then we just had to pull it together and do it,” says Roberta. After exploring the site, Chris and Roberta’s vision for the invisible home was quickly conceived.
As filmmakers and creatives, their intention was to create, approaching the house as an art object and a space to facilitate entertainment, creativity and contemplation. They were inspired by their interest in large-scale projects with minimalist design, a vast network of artists and a passion for architecture. Once inside the Airbnb guesthouse there are solar and thermal systems, 68-square-metre projection wall, large kitchen and a 30-metre indoor solar pool. “We drew on the idea of the pool as an ecosystem so there would be more moisture and you wouldn’t dry out here and used glass walls on both sides of the pool.” says Roberta, “it’s a living room, we put the pool in the living room.
Country Life Magazine – March 5, 2024: The latest issue features The Country Life Top 100 – Britain’s leading exponents of country-house architecture, interior design, gardens and specialist services…
Welcome to the eighth edition of our guide to Britain’s leading exponents of country-house architecture, interior design, gardens and specialist services
New series: The legacy
In the first of this new series, Kate Green celebrates Dame Miriam Rothschild’s remarkable contribution to the nation as a pioneer of wildflower gardening
Reach for the Skye
Following in the slipstream of swimming cattle, Joe Gibbs enjoys safe passage to the Isle of Skye courtesy of the world’s last manual turntable ferry
Hail the conquering heroes
Jack Watkins is in the saddle for a canter through 100 years of the Cheltenham National Hunt Festival’s Blue Riband event, the Gold Cup
Arts & antiques
Works by a whole host of great artists are more accessible than you might imagine. Carla Passino talks to leading art dealers about the Old Masters you could collect
Sir Alistair Spalding’s favourite painting
The artistic director admires a religious fresco that encourages contemplation and reflection
Out of Africa
Carla Carlisle reflects on the life of Karen Blixen after visiting the author’s former home in Kenya
Renewal and recovery
The restoration of Boston Manor House in Greater London offers a fascinating insight into changing tastes, reveals Charles O’Brien
The Devil wears parsley
March can be the month of all weathers, warns Lia Leendertz
The masked singer
Jack Watkins goes in search of the elusive, enchanting woodlark
London Life
Cashing in with Russell Higham
Celebrating Claridge’s
Revisiting James Burton’s beat with Carla Passino
Jack Watkins finds change in the air at the Natural History Museum
Stancombe revisited
Marion Mako visits Stancombe Park, Gloucestershire — Waugh’s garden inspiration for Brideshead
Kitchen garden cook
Melanie Johnson harnesses the subtle depth of flavour of leeks
And so to sleep…
Hemlock is a pretty addition to riverbanks, but its charm ends there, says Deborah Nicholls-Lee
The claws are out
Simon Lester shares the thrill of an encounter with the secretive native white-clawed crayfish
The good stuff
Patterned or pastel? Hetty Lintell showcases the finest waistcoats
DW Documentary (March 4, 2024): Patagonia’s icefields are very difficult to access. As a result, they remain largely unexplored by climate researchers. Now, a scientist and two extreme mountaineers are venturing into this hard-to-reach area, in search of new data for climate research.
Even after 15 years of research in Chile, scientist Tobias Sauter says that for him, many questions remain unanswered. To clarify them, he decides to venture into areas that are difficult to access. The mountaineers Robert Jasper and Jörn Heller agree to help – and put themselves in great danger in the process. The two icefields in the Patagonian Andes, which stretch across the borders of Chile and Argentina, represent the largest ice mass outside the polar ice caps.
However, as a result of climate change, the ice here is losing mass. In some areas, the icefields are losing up to 20 meters in height per year. Little is known about these dramatic developments and their specific causes. The ice field to the north in particular has so far mainly been studied using satellite-based data. The area’s extreme weather conditions and great remoteness make field research on site a challenge. Tobias Sauter from Humboldt University in Berlin is one of the few researchers to take on this challenge.
The Globalist (March 5, 2024):Monocle’s US editor, Christopher Lord, checks in ahead of the biggest presidential primary election day, as Donald Trump looks set to win the ballot.
Plus, South Korea makes good on its legal threats against striking doctors, China’s premier refuses to speak to the global press, and the second instalment of our week-long M370 series.
Van Gogh Museum (March 4, 2024): The work of the Chinese-Canadian artist Matthew Wong (1984-2019) is dynamic, colourful, and expressive. Of the many artists who inspired him, Vincent van Gogh was the most significant.
The exhibition ‘Matthew Wong l Vincent van Gogh: Painting as a Last Resort’ invites you to discover more about Wong’s work and his artistic connection with Van Gogh. On view at the Van Gogh Museum from 1 March until 1 September 2024.
The New Yorker (March 4, 2024): The new issue‘s cover features Barry Blitt’s “Slappenheimer” – The artist revisits the infamous Oscars slap to riff on the tensions of this year’s ceremony.
Omni Foundation (March 3, 2024): The Omni Foundation for the Performing Arts presents the Mēla Guitar Quartet performing the Ruslan and Lyudmila Overture by Mikhail Glinka from inside the West Dean Estate in the United Kingdom. This video is presented by the Omni Foundation’s Omni On-Location series, Concerts from Historic Sites.
CBS Sunday Morning (March 3, 2024): His abstract expressionist canvases are among the most recognizable of all 20th century artists’ works. But Mark Rothko (1903-1970) also produced nearly 3,000 pieces on paper – smaller in scale but just as innovative.
CBS News chief election & campaign correspondent Robert Costa visits an exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., that explores the trail of paper works the artist left behind, and talks with curator Adam Greenhalgh, and with the artist’s children, Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko, about Rothko’s remarkable vision.
Monocle on Saturday, March 2, 2024: On Friday the funeral of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny drew thousands of mourners. What was the mood in Moscow? In the UK what has the reaction been to prime minister Rishi Sunak’s Downing Street address on Friday evening?
Meanwhile in Austria, an investigation has exposed the fraudulent COO of Wirecard as a decade-long GRU spy – what do we know? Join Vincent McAviney and political journalist Terry Stiastny for all this, as well as a breakdown of the Willy Wonka experience scam in Glasgow. Plus: Monocle’s Fernando Augusto Pacheco gives us a rundown of the world’s best biscuits.
News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious