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In the unassuming town of Papatowai, New Zealand, Blair Somerville has amassed one of the world’s most idiosyncratic collections and, with it, a life that’s entirely his own. A prolific tinkerer, Somerville has transformed a modest property into The Lost Gypsy Gallery, a panoply of objects, once junk, metamorphosed into whimsical, mechanically operated exhibitions. Like Somerville’s own bare-bones, solar-powered lifestyle, the collection is endearingly unusual, constructed from simple parts and built entirely from the ground up.
Director: Joey Bania
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Stories and literature
Robert Frost’s poetic reflection on youth, as read in his unforgettable baritone
5 minutes
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Film and visual culture
‘Bags here are rarely innocent’ – how filmmakers work around censorship in Iran
8 minutes
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Language and linguistics
Closed captions suck. Here’s one artist’s inventive project to make them better
8 minutes
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Thinkers and theories
A rare female scholar of the Roman Empire, Hypatia lived and died as a secular voice
5 minutes
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Architecture
The celebrated architect who took inspiration from sitting, waiting and contemplating
29 minutes
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Anthropology
Why are witchcraft accusations so common across human societies?
4 minutes
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Subcultures
Drop into London’s eclectic skate scene, where newbies and old-timers find community
5 minutes
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Wellbeing
Born in China, Zee seeks a gender-affirming life in the American Midwest
11 minutes
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Rituals and celebrations
A whale hunt is an act of prayer for an Inuit community north of the Arctic Circle
8 minutes