Get curated editors’ picks, peeks behind the scenes, film recommendations and more.
Since moving to London more than 15 years ago, Lara Maiklem has made a hobby – and then a career – out of combing through the muddy foreshore of the river Thames and collecting and writing about the fascinating objects she finds. A self-described ‘mudlark’, Maiklem keeps her eyes peeled for ‘straight lines and perfect circles – the things that nature doesn’t make’ to identify everyday artefacts that connect her to Londoners dating back to ancient Rome. In this short film, Maiklem details her joy in finding personal objects such as pots, shoes and, in one case, a glass eye, which, without someone collecting them at just the right time, would inevitably weather away. Time spent on the foreshore has also given Maiklem perspective on how, over the past century, rubbish has transformed from materials that will reintegrate with nature once they emerge from the mud to plastics that will last forever.
Via Open Culture
Director: Kit Harwood
video
Rituals and celebrations
A whale hunt is an act of prayer for an Inuit community north of the Arctic Circle
8 minutes
video
Music
The peculiar beauty of a song caught between composition and improvisation
3 minutes
video
Rituals and celebrations
A beginner’s guide to a joyful Persian tradition of spring renewal and rebirth
3 minutes
video
Politics and government
How it looked to Afghan women to see the Taliban return to power
33 minutes
video
Love and friendship
Love looks a bit different for a chain-smoking couple in a small apartment
11 minutes
video
Biography and memoir
Passed over as the first Black astronaut, Ed Dwight carved out an impressive second act
13 minutes
video
The ancient world
The six priestesses who kept the flame of ancient Rome alight at risk of death
5 minutes
video
Engineering
A close-up look at electronic paper reveals its exquisite patterns – and limitations
9 minutes
video
Architecture
West Africa was once an architectural laboratory. Is it time for a revival?
12 minutes