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Specialist subject: Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Category Archives: Design
The curious idea of museums
This article originally appeared in The Big Issue magazine. Journalism worth paying for. What are museums for these days? Are collections passé? Northampton City Council’s decision to sell off an ancient Egyptian statue to fund a museum extension, after striking … Continue reading
People at work: Richard III & the 60s Town Planner
This piece connected the Richard III exhumation to Leicester’s repentence for sins against its medieval past. Thought it worth reposting as the High Court ruled in favour of a “dignified” burial in the city. Full details and judgement here. Maybe you … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Business/Economics, Culture, Design, History, Media, Uncategorized
Tagged Ladybird books, Leicester, Richard III
3 Comments
An embroidered insult to Hitler: A story about hand made things
My Something Understood for BBC Radio 4 this weekend is all about hand made things. You can listen to a clip of here. And the whole programme here. As well meeting a carpenter who makes fossil-inspired objects about of ancient … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Design, Germany, History, Radio, Religion, Uncategorized, War
Tagged Alexis Casdagli, Army, culture, embroidery, FTW, Hitler, morse code, needlework, POW, Royal Navy, Something Understood, Tony Casdagli, war
26 Comments
People at work: Richard III and The 60s Town Planner
This piece was about Leicester’s repentence for planning atrocities against its medieval past. Thought it worth reposting as the High Court ruled in favour of a “dignified” burial in the city. Full details and judgement here. Maybe you used to … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Business/Economics, Culture, Design, History
Tagged 60s, Bentall Centre, Bentalls, books, culture, FTW, JG Ballard, Kingdom Come, Kingston-upon-Thames, Ladybird books, Leicester, Richard III, Urban planning, York
15 Comments
Making a splash with the Modfather
This article first appeared in The Big Issue: journalism worth paying for. Subscriptions here if you can’t buy from street vendors. Did I ever tell you about the time I found myself in the pool with Paul Weller? This is … Continue reading
Posted in Children, Culture, Design, Germany, History, Sport
Tagged Belfast, Berlin, culture, Echo Park, Eel Pie Island, Kingston-upon-Thames, lido, London, Los Angeles, Olympics, Paul Weller, Streatham, summer, swimming pools, Twickenham
4 Comments
Only connect: Charles Correa and the power of the empty centre
(Jun 18th 2015) I was saddened to hear the news of Charles Correa’s death. An international name who declared he was proudly an Indian architect first, I was fortunate to interview him for Radio 3’s Night Waves in May 2013. … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Design, Radio, Science, Uncategorized
Tagged architecture, BBC, Charles Correa, EM Forster, India, modernism, Mumbai, Night Waves, Pune, RIBA
11 Comments
Concorde: How a dead end can be a glorious high point of innovation
1976 Paris-Rio First commercial Concorde flight to Brazil Photo: Jean-Claude Deutsch Paris Match I chose Concorde out of a 100 Great British Innovations for a National Museum project to mark National Science and Engineering Week. You can vote for it … Continue reading
Posted in Business/Economics, Design, Science, Travel
Tagged 70s, Concorde, Engineering, FTW
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The Curse of the Typewriter
The last typewriter was made in Britain yesterday at a factory in Wales. But has the stigma of typing for women really been lost? This was originally written earlier this year to look at how far the QWERTY keyboard might … Continue reading
Posted in Business/Economics, Design, History, Media, Uncategorized
Tagged feminism, qwerty keyboard, typewriters
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Broken clocks & zombie apocalypse
I have a thing about broken public clocks. I wrote a piece for The Big Issue about why I think they’re the first step on the way to social breakdown and chaos. Think Day of the Triffids when there’s no … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Design, History
Tagged Alfie Dennen, Caledonian Clock Tower, Cally Clock, clocks, culture, time, Victorian engineering, zombies
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No Mr Bond, I expect you to cry.
This column (updated since it appeared in The Big Issue last week) explores whether old James Bond films can still be enjoyed in a more feminist, more racially equal society. And then Danny Boyle put him at the heart of … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Design, Film, Uncategorized
Tagged 007, 60s, Anthony Horowitz, books, cinema, culture, feminism, film, FTW, George Lazenby, james bond
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