Philosophy Science Psychology Society Culture

DonateNewsletter

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

A woman in casual attire walking by a large weaving loom with black threads in a bright, clean room

essay

Design and fashion

When luxury is good

The waste and exploitation of fast fashion shouldn’t blind us to the joys of making beautiful clothing with care

Roger Tredre

Yellow warning sign with a black palm tree bent over in strong wind, signifying severe weather or wind conditions.

video

Information and communication

An animation built from road signs is a whirlwind study of flash communication

2 minutes

Close-up of a hammer, metal pot, and three copper spheres on a stone surface, with a hand holding the hammer.

video

Making

Trek to a remote Himalayan village where artisans craft teapots fit for kings

11 minutes

Two wooden chairs with a unique, organic design stand in a lush garden surrounded by green plants and yellow flowers. A small tree in the background appears to be pruned in an artistic manner, enhancing the natural aesthetic.

essay

Design and fashion

Sitting on the art

Given its intimacy with the body and deep play on form and function, furniture is a ripely ambiguous artform of its own

Emma Crichton Miller

Close-up images of a display pixel grid, a black and white foam pattern, and a colourful honeycomb structure.

video

Engineering

A close-up look at electronic paper reveals its exquisite patterns – and limitations

9 minutes

A colourful close-up of a circular, textured artwork featuring butterflies, birds, and flowers against a blue background.

video

Design and fashion

The ornate, the aromatic, the cruel – Valentine’s cards before the age of Hallmark

16 minutes

Detailed beaded artwork depicting two figures with dark hair and cheerful expressions, adorned with vibrant blue and gold beads.

video

Rituals and celebrations

The spectacular Mardi Gras artworks born of a unique New Orleans tradition

16 minutes

An intricate, colourful Persian artwork depicting a central figure on a throne, with four attendants surrounded by floral and animal motifs.

essay

History of technology

A silken web

From its mythic beginnings in a Chinese garden, the story of silk is a window into how weaving has shaped human history

Peter Frankopan, Marie-Louise Nosch & Feng Zhao

Two sphinx-like statues foreground an intricate formal garden of geometric hedges and a square pond. In the background are cherry trees in bloom

essay

Nature and landscape

The mystic art of gardening

In an era of 20th-century suburban sprawl, the great designer Russell Page infused soulful philosophy into his gardens

Caleb Smith

A man in an apron operates a large wooden printing press wheel in an artisan workshop filled with tools, shelves, and a table.

video

Design and fashion

From spark of inspiration to final press – how William Blake built a book of poetry

8 minutes

A grid of six uniquely styled number “8” designs in various colours and textures, each in different backgrounds: black, orange, blue, green, black, and grey.

video

Design and fashion

The mundane becomes mesmerising in this deep dive into segmented displays

14 minutes

Illustration of a historic round pavilion with ornate statues and columns, surrounded by trees, with people in period attire nearby.

video

Architecture

Tour the European architecture that dreamed of a wondrous, fictitious China

16 minutes

Colourful ornate ceiling with intricate patterns and Arabic calligraphy in the centre, surrounded by detailed floral and column motifs.

video

Design and fashion

The art of Istanbul dances to life in a tribute to the city’s timeless beauty

4 minutes

A hand holding an ancient horn-shaped bronze vessel with a sculpted animal head, pouring liquid against a brick wall background.

video

The ancient world

What wine vessels reveal about politics and luxury in ancient Athens and Persia

16 minutes

Man in a pottery studio assembling large ceramic pieces, shelves with tools and books, a desk lamp, and equipment in the background. Black and white image.

video

Design and fashion

Refined towards imperfection – a ceramic artist recreates a rare Korean treasure

15 minutes

Illustrations of various spoons with different handles and designs, arranged on white cards laid out in a fan pattern.

video

Design and fashion

Household items are reborn in a ‘visual symphony of everyday objects’

11 minutes

Hands squeezing dyed yarn over a container of dark liquid, with dye dripping from the yarn.

video

Design and fashion

From sheep to sea – an ode to the iconic sweater that warms Cornish sailors

4 minutes

A woman in a hat sitting on a bench with a small dog in a wicker basket on her lap. People and benches are in the blurred background.

essay

Animals and humans

Semiotics of dogs

In all its baroque and sometimes cruelly overbred forms, the dog is a paramount symbol of both human hopes and foibles

Katrina Gulliver

Ancient, tattered pair of trousers displayed with four fabric samples on the right, showcasing various woven patterns and textures.

video

History of technology

Unravelling the surprisingly epic story of the world’s oldest pair of trousers

45 minutes

Two boys navigating a large cart filled with debris through a vast rubbish dump, with buildings and goats in the background.

essay

Design and fashion

The Waste Age

Recognising that waste is central, not peripheral, to everything we design, make and do is key to transforming the future

Justin McGuirk

A brush paints red over a map of the world on a frosted glass surface, highlighting continents and countries.

video

Information and communication

There are many ways to make a flat map of the world – each of them a unique distortion

10 minutes

Close-up of a hand gripping the handlebar of a motorbike, with part of its red tank visible.

video

Design and fashion

Gear up for a stylish celebration of vintage motorcycle design

6 minutes

Abstract digital art with blue, beige and black geometric shapes forming a whimsical face on a white background.

video

Home

How our rooms shape our world, and vice versa

3 minutes

A horizontal traffic light with lights transitioning from green, through yellow, to red against a grey sky.

video

Mathematics

Delight as the hard-edged world melts into a full-rainbow spectrum of reality

2 minutes