The TEMPO Murders
As Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells reaches its 50th anniversary and the 19-year-old youth who composed it prepares to turn 70 and lives in virtual retirement, Mark Slattery re-discovers a furious exchange of letters between renowned classical composers about Mike Oldfield’s musical credentials. Whatever one makes of the album’s classical credentials, Oldfield’s subsequent career has certainly taken in […]
CLASS S
Written and directed by Darryl Duah-Boateng and produced by Pyraglyphix, Class S appears to present a current and revealing approach to young-adult angst and the dramatic effects of new psychoactive drugs, which are increasingly being the cause of the loss of many young lives. Duah-Boateng’s film focuses on university students to tell his take on […]
A Letter to Black Men
Inspired by true events, A Letter to Black Men is a gritty showcase of life for youths living in the estates of inner-city London. But it’s also a tale of hope and redemption. I found most interesting that this work goes a little further and offers an insight from both the hardened criminals stuck in […]
Made of Makers
Inaugurated in 2022, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Made of Makers encapsulates a series of collaborations with artists and artisans from various disciplines outside of watchmaking, building a community of creators with similar values and visions of creativity. Expanding on the dialogue that exists between horology and art, the programme is founded on the core principles of the Maison: creativity, expertise and […]
1984 – Big Brother is Watching You
Few books have had more impact on society than George Orwell’s 1984. Published in June, 1949, Orwell’s portrait of a dystopian future quickly become an iconic read, often taught at schools and colleges, maybe because although the book describes a made-up world, a lot of it feels creepily familiar. Publishers of limited facsimile editions of […]
Making Modernism
Making Modernism is the first major UK exhibition devoted to women artists working in Germany in the early 20th century. Although less familiar than their male counterparts, these artists were central to the development and dissemination of modernism. The show includes 65 paintings and works on paper primarily by Paula Modersohn- Becker, Käthe Kollwitz, Gabriele […]
Provenance Collection
Just over a year ago, the luxury watchmaking Swiss brand Vacheron Constantin opened its first boutique in Edinburgh, just a stone-throw from the castle. To celebrate its first anniversary, the Maison has commissioned five local artisans to create a collection of unique items to celebrate traditional crafts by exploring the themes of place, time and […]
Reuben James
With his slightly husky, silky evocative voice, easy smile and casual manner, singer-songwriter and pianist Reuben James has become one of the most exciting artists to have emerged in recent years on the music scene. Reuben grew up in a musical house in Bromford, Birmingham, with parents who loved music and had a huge vinyl […]
Faster than a cannonball
For the last year I have been living in the Nineties, and I like it. So much so that I think it might be the best decade of all, at least culturally. Decades tend to crest at the midway point, and 1995 was the year of the Nineties. It was Peak Britpop (Oasis v Blur), […]
Spotless
In this short film directed by Emma Branderhorst, we are taken through a couple days in the life of a teenage girl struggling with an uncomfortable, yet all too common problem: period poverty. A survey by Plan International UK revealed that in this country one in 10 girls can’t afford to buy menstrual products and […]
