Tanners at the Chouara Tannery have been transforming animal hides into leather since the 11th century. The tanning process has gone unchanged since then, but it relies on heavy chemicals that threaten the health of workers. Some say they are not willing to take that risk. We traveled to the world’s oldest leather tannery in Fez, Morocco, to find out how this ancient craft is still standing.
Videos
360° Africa: Okavango Delta In Botswana (5K)
Glide through the waterways of Botswana’s Okavango Delta and come face to face with its wildlife in this immersive 360 experience. Through Okavango Eternal, work is underway to help protect the source waters of this one-of-a-kind region, and support tourism that benefits local communities.
The Okavango Delta is a vast inland river delta in northern Botswana. It’s known for its sprawling grassy plains, which flood seasonally, becoming a lush animal habitat. The Moremi Game Reserve occupies the east and central areas of the region. Here, dugout canoes are used to navigate past hippos, elephants and crocodiles. On dry land, wildlife includes lions, leopards, giraffes and rhinos.
Summer Walks: Venice In Northeastern Italy (2022)
Venice, the capital of northern Italy’s Veneto region, is built on more than 100 small islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. It has no roads, just canals – including the Grand Canal thoroughfare – lined with Renaissance and Gothic palaces. The central square, Piazza San Marco, contains St. Mark’s Basilica, which is tiled with Byzantine mosaics, and the Campanile bell tower offering views of the city’s red roofs.
RECORDED On 23/JUNE/2022
Summer Walks: Oslo In Southern Norway (4K)
Oslo, the capital of Norway, sits on the country’s southern coast at the head of the Oslofjord. It’s known for its green spaces and museums. Many of these are on the Bygdøy Peninsula, including the waterside Norwegian Maritime Museum and the Viking Ship Museum, with Viking ships from the 9th century. The Holmenkollbakken is a ski-jumping hill with panoramic views of the fjord. It also has a ski museum.
Tours: An ‘Artists Cottage’ In East Devon, England
Natalie Silk and Tom Baker have worked on many projects together, the best known of which is Field Day festival, which they co-founded in 2007. As individuals, Natalie now produces regenerative food and craft events that celebrates links between the city and countryside as part of Village Mentality; Tom runs Eat Your Own Ears, which has been a part of London’s music scene since 2001.
But the couple’s latest project is an altogether quieter and slower-going one: the sensitive renovation and extension of an old cottage in the bucolic hills of East Devon, which you can explore in our latest film.
Walking Tour: Herceg Novi In Montenegro (4K)
In the former days of Yugoslavia, Herceg Novi was one of the region’s premier beach destinations. Nowadays, however, it’s often overlooked for the sandy shores and party-centric hubs further south along the Adriatic.
In the height of summer local tourists flood the hotels and resorts that line Herceg Novi’s waterfront. Visit even a little outside this time and you’ll be met with a wonderfully peaceful beachside town where the streets overflow with trees fruiting pomegranates and kiwis and enough fresh seafood to satisfy any appetite.
Australia Architecture: House Bondi Beach Tour
House Bondi Beach accurately represents an original design by Carla Middleton Architecture. Inside a home featuring saw-toothed geometry, the interior design is effortlessly unique, incorporating the challenges of distinct, angular architecture.
Video timeline: 00:00 – A Private Retreat in the City 00:21 – Introduction to the Home 00:44 – Entering the Home 01:11 – Bringing the Vision to Life 01:54 – The Concept 02:39 – Creating a Happy Space 03:08 – External Finishes 03:54 – European Oak in the Home 04:14 – Bathroom Tiles 04:34 – What the Architect is Most Proud of
Constructed by M&G Building, House Bondi Beach is a modern suburban home. The design emerges from a rigorous analysis of the brief, which detailed the clients’ desired experience for inside a home, focusing on work, entertainment and retreat.
The design of House Bondi Beach was influenced by its gently sloping site. The bedroom, bathroom and living room – key amenities inside a home – are placed in a specific layout, defined by the act of stepping down into the rear of the property. Stairs delineate the more private areas of the family home. Carla Middleton Architecture manages the interior experience inside a home by using carefully chosen furniture and comforting materials.
In House Bondi Beach, a natural materiality creates the relaxing environment associated within a coastal setting. European oak features in the floor, timber staircase and refined balustrades, forming a point of material consistency throughout the home. To enter House Bondi Beach is to venture inside a home that is conceptually pure. Thoroughly expressing the vision of Carla Middleton Architecture, the residence is a rare feat of residential design.
Isle Of Wight Views: 2022 ‘Round The Island Race’
It wasn’t the fastest and a small boat didn’t win, but this year’s Round the Island race was one to remember as a being a classic blast around the Isle of Wight.
The annual Round the Island Race, organised by the Island Sailing Club, is a one-day yacht race around the Isle of Wight, an island situated off the south coast of England. The race regularly attracts over 1,400 boats and around 15,000 sailors, making it one of the largests yacht races in the world and the fourth largest participation sporting event in the UK after the London Marathon and the Great North and South Runs.
Competitors come from all over the UK, other parts of Europe and as far away as the USA to follow the 50 nautical mile course round the Isle of Wight. Starting on the famous Royal Yacht Squadron line in Cowes, the fleet races westabout, to The Needles, round St Catherine’s Point and Bembridge Ledge buoy, and back into the Solent to the finish line at Cowes.
Spectators can find many vantage points, both on the mainland and Isle of Wight, to watch the race progress. Those who cannot get to watch in person can always keep an eye on the race’s progress on the website, via our live text commentary and our boat tracking facility.
Design: The Woolbeding ‘Kinetic Glasshouse’ (2022)
The Woolbeding Glasshouse
Heatherwick Studio has unveiled its latest project, a kinetic glasshouse set on the edge of the gardens here at Woolbeding.
This unfolding structure provides the focal point to a new garden that reveals how much the ancient Silk Route – which linked the Western world with the Middle East and Asia – has influenced English gardens of today. It features ten steel ‘sepals’ with glass and aluminium façade which take four minutes to open, creating an immense 141m2 space in the shape of a crown.
The glasshouse draws inspiration from the spirit of Victorian ornamental terrariums. It deploys cutting-edge engineering to provide a functional protective structure while at the same time offering a beguiling, decorative element to the new Silk Route Garden.
On warm days, the glasshouse opens its ‘sepals’ using a hydraulic mechanism to allow the plants access to direct sunshine and ventilation, while in colder weather the structure will remain closed, providing shelter to a collection of subtropical species.
Walks: Monteliusvägen In Stockholm, Sweden (4K)
On the northern shore of Södermalm island you will find Monteliusvägen, a narrow footpath on steep cliffs. The walking path offers highly impressive views of the opposite Stockholm downtown. Monteliusvägen is considered to be one of the best and most romantic viewpoints in Stockholm.
On the other side of the Riddarfjärden and Lake Mälaren one can see the Stockholm City Hall, to the east of it the church Riddarholmskyrka, followed by the Old Town Gamla Stan. In the background you can get a glimpse of the Royal Palace.
Boomers Daily 