Get curated editors’ picks, peeks behind the scenes, film recommendations and more.
The popular Primitive Technology blog features an unnamed man in Far North Queensland, Australia building tools and structures using only raw, found materials. In this instalment, the man builds a new device he refers to as a ‘bow blower’ – a combination of a primitive drill and a manually powered fan – used to keep a fire burning hot enough to produce iron. The result is a stunning combination of ingenuity, expertise and determination. To learn more about the step-by-step process while watching, turn on closed captions in the YouTube video player.
Video by Primitive Technology
video
Architecture
A lush tour of Fallingwater – the Frank Lloyd Wright design that changed architecture
14 minutes
video
Home
Life moves slowly in a Romanian mountain village, shaped by care and the seasons
13 minutes
video
Environmental history
In Kazakhstan, ‘atomic lakes’ still scar the landscape decades after Soviet nuclear tests
13 minutes
video
Nature and landscape
‘A culture is no better than its woods’ – what our trees reveal about us, by W H Auden
5 minutes
video
Architecture
A 3D rendering of the Colosseum captures its architectural genius and symbolic power
17 minutes
video
Making
On the Norwegian coast, a tree is transformed into a boat the old-fashioned way
6 minutes
video
Nature and landscape
California’s landscapes provide endless inspiration for a woodcut printmaker
10 minutes
video
History of technology
Curious singles and tech sceptics – what ‘computer dating’ looked like in 1966
6 minutes
video
Animals and humans
Join seabirds as they migrate, encountering human communities along the way
13 minutes