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Showing posts from July, 2021

The Lost Words - Blessing

Walk through the world with care, my love  And sing the things you see  Let new names take and root and thrive and grow

Losing cultural status

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A report on the possibility that the UK's cultural sites may lose their World Heritage listing. Liverpool Docks have already been delisted.

Debra Gwartney on Barry Lopez

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A Granta piece on the final days of Barry Lopez - the master - written by his wife Debra Gwartney. This is a heartbreaking and brave piece of writing.

Portorosso - Pixar's latest creation

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A lovely short film on Disney+ features the director Enrico Casarosa and colleagues from Pixar talking about how they immersed themselves in the villages of the Cinque Terre near Genoa while building the landscapes within which the action of Luca takes place, the hillside village and tower, the small islands and the waters of the bay. Pixar have always sent their animators to do detailed research to ensure that the textures and lighting is as accurate as possible, and then build their own versions which are full of the little details which only being there in person and capturing smells, textures, feeling and sounds of the villages, including the way that the buildings create shadows at certain times of day... It all builds into the final aesthetic of the film. Warning: Possible Spoiler Alerts in the reviews that follow. If you have seen the film you will have immediately appreciated the way that it captures the sense of place of the Italian locations. There are lots of little detai

The name's Parkinson

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The Telegraph have joined many other previous newspapers to once again resorted to the old trope relating to fashion and anyone wearing corduroy jackets... that means they dress like a geography teacher... This time, the person who is sartorially connected with us is James Bond, in scenes from the forthcoming Bond movie...

Grime and identity - a new resource

Grime acts as a catalyst for change, sparking healthy debate and often mobilising young people around social issues most pertinent to their lives today. In this sense, Grime has the ability to transcend age, gender, sexuality, race and political class, providing a much needed social commentary on highly charged topics. From the introduction to a new unit on Grime and Black British history. If you’re a #geographyteacher wanting to talk to students about @sterling7 and Black British identities ahead of the #EURO2020 final consider showing the video to Dave’s song ‘Black’. Read the article by @Parise_CM @GeogShanique and @dhillon113 https://t.co/Qjt5AkLR9Y — Decolonising Geography (@DecoloniseGeog) July 7, 2021

The French Dispatch

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Very much looking forward to the release of this film. Wes Anderson is a visual genius and the reviews from Cannes have been excellent.

Due North

I am privileged to have seen 'The Blue Nile' play live several times, and what an experience. From my first introduction to 'A Walk across the Rooftops' in 1987ish there are so many important songs the band produced. A new project: Quiet City by Blue Nile drummer Nigel Thomas features Paul Buchanan adding his distinctive vocals. Looking forward to  Heading Due North in a few week's time and looking forward to it....