Get curated editors’ picks, peeks behind the scenes, film recommendations and more.
‘There was once a man, so old that most of his family and all his friends had left this world before him…’
In 2013, the Scottish author and poet James Robertson wrote a story every day for a year, each one 365 words long. These stories – drawing on everything from ancient myth and Scottish folklore to personal dreams and memories – were published a year later in the anthology 365 Stories. Inspired by this endeavour, the Scottish musician Aidan O’Rourke wrote 365 melodies, each of them corresponding to a different work from Robertson’s collection. In this video, Robertson, O’Rourke and the English jazz pianist Kit Downes combine their crafts in an intimate and unique performance. As Robertson reads from his short story ‘Imagination’ about an elderly man lost in memories of war, O’Rourke and Downes accompany him with a wistful score of string and harmonium inspired by the work. Through this cross-form collaboration emerges a stirring reflection on ageing, memory and trauma that illustrates the many ways art can evoke emotion.
Kit Downes will be appearing at the UK launch of the Sophia Club – the new international series of cultural events from Aeon Media – on Tuesday 26 April in London. To book tickets for this event, click here.
Director: James Ewen
Website: Folk Radio UK
video
Family life
The precious family keepsakes that hold meaning for generations
10 minutes
video
Neuroscience
This intricate map of a fruit fly brain could signal a revolution in neuroscience
2 minutes
video
Information and communication
Coverage of the ‘balloon boy’ hoax forms a withering indictment of for-profit news
17 minutes
video
Childhood and adolescence
Marmar is living through a devastating war – but she’d rather tell you about her new dress
8 minutes
video
Meaning and the good life
Wander through the English countryside with two teens trying to make sense of the world
10 minutes
video
Art
A puppeteer makes sense of an overwhelming world by shrinking it down to size
5 minutes
video
Anthropology
Does Mogi’s future lie with her horses on the Mongolian steppe, or in the city?
16 minutes
video
Art
The sprawling mural that depicts an unflinching people’s history of Los Angeles
7 minutes
video
Personality
A ‘dumpster archeologist’ reconstructs strangers’ stories via what they’ve discarded
14 minutes