Fern Hughes asked me to join Dr Claire Stewart-Hall and Kirsty Lewis in a conversation about safety, what it means, and how that meaning is different for different people and in different contexts.
On Evil, Empathy, and Mobs
What constitutes socially acceptable behaviour is often relative. Absolutes are rare. Even ‘thou shall not kill’ can be bargained, and frequently is. Is this assessment too bleak?
Go Where People Are
Museums are changing. Whilst collections cannot be made mobile easily, museums are on the move in a way which goes beyond buildings and collections. Find out how, and why.
Nostalgia
The present is hard to love. That’s why we’re encouraged to imagine that things were better in the past, especially by politicians. These are common tropes across cultures and across the world. Leaning into nostalgia is easier than dealing with today’s messy realities. A sentimental longing for a better past elicits a social response. NostalgiaContinue reading “Nostalgia”
Palimpsest
Explore the long history of food through a focus on the orange. Oranges today grow world wide. Yet their origins are less well known. The journey the fruit has made carries a cultural imprint. What does that history tell us?
The Lost Paintings
We live in an age of artificially forced choices. I have always held the view that cosmopolitanism is not antithetical to patriotism. Is this controversial? I don’t think so.
Natacha Atlas’s Parallel Universe
Parallel Universe, Vol 1 is the kind of album Massive Attack might have wished to make with Atlas and Bishai, except that Atlas and Bishai got there first. There are layers and depths to dive into here.
Ai Weiwei’s ‘Ton of Tea’: A Cultural Reflection
A cultural exploration of the meaning and function of art in museums today.
Easy Steps to Make Autumn Fruit Compote with Eggy Bread
An early autumn morning inspires a recipe using fruit and pantry staples.
The History and Recipe of Kedgeree
Kedgeree is a variant of an Indian dish, Khichdi, which has been developed to suit British tastes and is influenced by geography, social change, and the tides of history.
