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Culture

Essays and videos on the arts, literature, travel, rituals and celebrations

Architecture Art Biography and memoir Dance and theatre Design and fashion Film and visual culture Food and drink Home Music Nature and landscape Rituals and celebrations Sports and games Stories and literature Subcultures Travel

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Painting of a man on a rocky cliff overlooking a foggy mountainous landscape, with a walking stick in hand.

essay

Art

Out of the fog

It’s a ‘failed painting’ that obscures the profound power of German Romanticism. Why do we love the ‘Wanderer’ so much?

Gianluca Didino

A painting of a mythical forest scene with centaurs, satyrs and wild animals in a chaotic setting.

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Nature and landscape

‘A culture is no better than its woods’ – what our trees reveal about us, by W H Auden

5 minutes

Abstract digital collage with classical statue overlayed by red lines, geometric shapes and layered images on a textured background.

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Stories and literature

Our narrative prison

The three-act ‘hero’s journey’ has long been the most prominent kind of story. What other tales are there to tell?

Eliane Glaser

Fisheye photo of a man in a suit leaning close to camera in a laundrette, with two people talking in the background.

video

Gender

A catchy tune explains the world’s ‘isms’ – according to your mum doing the laundry

5 minutes

3D digital rendering of a cross-section of a Roman amphitheatre, showing architectural details and a large crowd inside.

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Architecture

A 3D rendering of the Colosseum captures its architectural genius and symbolic power

17 minutes

Painting of a girl with a pearl earring in an ornate frame, viewed by three people in a gallery setting.

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Art

The ecstatic swoon

As Stendhal knew, the reason for art is to make you feel. Do not try to grasp the artwork: allow it to grasp you instead

Robert D Zaretsky

Black and white photo of a person in glasses and military attire standing in front of the Hollywood sign.

video

Art

When East met West in the images of an overlooked, original photographer

9 minutes

Digital artwork of a skull with holographic elements and text overlays on a dark background.

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Consciousness and altered states

‘I want me back’ – after a head injury, Nick struggles with his altered reality

7 minutes

Photo of a wicker basket with two kittens and a squirrel inside against a decorative blue and white tiled wall.

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Animals and humans

One man’s quest to save an orphaned squirrel, as narrated by David Attenborough

14 minutes

Aerial photo of a snowy town with colourful buildings and a vast frozen landscape in the background.

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The environment

On unstable ground

A ‘great reshuffle’ of the land is underway. It will force us to reconsider traditional ideas of property and ownership

Michael Albertus

Abstract blue and white painting of a plant silhouette on a dark background.

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Earth science and climate

Images carved into film form a haunting elegy for a disappearing slice of Earth

3 minutes

Two men on stage acting, one holds an apple on a stick and looks through two glass lenses held by the other man, in dramatic lighting.

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Dance and theatre

What actors know

Acting is an ancient and intrinsically human way to establish vibrant connections with one another. And it’s available to us all

John Britton

Microscopic image showing a close-up view of a butterfly’s proboscis covered with vibrant pink and orange structures.

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Biology

Butterflies become unrecognisable landscapes when viewed under electron microscopes

4 minutes

Painting of a vibrant green hillside with trees and a winding river, showing detailed textures and overlapping colours.

video

Nature and landscape

California’s landscapes provide endless inspiration for a woodcut printmaker

10 minutes

Sepia-toned photo of a person in formal Victorian attire, standing with a slightly tilted head, against an ornate backdrop.

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Gender and identity

Requeering Wilde

Oscar Wilde is an icon of gay liberation from secrecy. But his life and his sexuality were not so simple – nor so binary

Sam Mills

An older man in a red cap and printed T-shirt looking into the distance.

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Virtues and vices

Why Bennie tried to disappear, and what happened when he was found decades later

16 minutes

A cupcake with pink icing topped with mealworms, surrounded by other cupcakes.

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Food and drink

Adjust your disgust

The future of food is nutritious and sustainable – if we can overcome our instinctual revulsion to insects and lab-grown meat

Alexandra Plakias

Photo of three children in winter jackets sitting on grassland near a stream with a plastic container between them.

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Animals and humans

Join seabirds as they migrate, encountering human communities along the way

13 minutes

Traditional Indian painting of a deity reclining on a serpent on water with another figure on a lotus against a red background.

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Stories and literature

Two variants of a Hindu myth come alive in an animated ode to Indian storytelling

14 minutes

Photo of a diner interior seen through a window with patrons seated at tables and a counter under hanging lights.

video

Food and drink

The passage of time is a peculiar thing in a 24-hour diner

14 minutes

Black and white photo of a man with glasses and a beard, resting his chin on his hand, wearing a suit.

video

Art

Background music was the radical invention of a trailblazing composer

17 minutes

Photo of a woman meditating by a fire in a dimly lit room with artwork on the walls and others seated in the background.

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Anthropology

For an Amazonian female shaman, ayahuasca ceremonies are a rite and a business

30 minutes

Photo of a study with a wooden desk, red curtains, bust sculptures and a leather chair in a well-lit room.

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Psychiatry and psychotherapy

The art in the analyst’s room

The consulting office reflects the personality of the therapist, while also subtly shaping the experience of their patients

Anna Parker

A young woman and an older woman in a living room face the camera, one of them pointing towards it. The image has a webcam recording interface.

video

Gender

A filmmaker responds to Lars von Trier’s call for a new muse with a unique application

16 minutes