Preview: Country Life Magazine – Sept 21, 2022

Country Life’s 21 September 2022 issue is a Cotswolds special, looking at gardens, homes and Oxford’s brief stint as the British capital.

Our great good fortune

Long live the Kings and Queens, says Carla Carlisle as she marvels at the balancing act of our enduring monarchy

A Cotswold capital

Simon Thurley explains how Oxford was fortified during its brief spell as Charles I’s capital city during the Civil War

A concentrated Arcadia

Tilly Ware lauds the dedicated restoration of the many buildings and features of a historic Cotswolds landscape garden

Stella Ioannou’s favourite painting

The artistic director of Sculpture in the City chooses a vivid and compelling British work

Travel & Culture: Visiting Munich’s Oktoberfest

Following a two-year break, Munich’s Oktoberfest is back! Dhruv Rathee and partner Juli visit the world’s largest Volksfest. The 17-day event kicks off with the traditional ‘parade of Wiesn landlords and breweries”.

Video timeline: 0:00 Intro 0:47 What is the Oktoberfest? 1:48 Parade of Wiesn landlords and breweries 2:58 A brief history of the Oktoberfest 3:39 Getting there 4:50 Dirndl and lederhosen 5:52 O’zaft is! – the opening tradition 7:10 Beer tents 8:28 Food 10:17 Rides and attractions 11:29 Tips for families

Dressed in their dirndls and lederhosen, they explore the many rides and attractions on the Wiesn – the field where it all takes place. Along with sampling some culinary delights, they of course have to drop in to one of the famous beer tents.

Plant-Based Meat: Why It Hasn’t Gone Mainstream

As people’s eating habits change and environmental concerns grow, plant-based protein used as a meat substitute has gained popularity. However, some barriers are preventing it from becoming truly mainstream. Watch what needs to be done to truly realize a future with less meat.

Walking Tours: Ravello On The Amalfi Coast, Italy

Ravello has been named the City of Music and is home to the Villa Cimbrone, Villa Rufolo, the striking Oscar Niemeyer Auditorium and a vibrant cultural scene: Ravello Festival, Ravello Concert Society.

Thousands of years of history, an enchanting mountaintop setting on Italy’s most beautiful coastline and views that have captivated countless souls, inspired artists and filled hearts with passion. Yet it’s just the beginning of what you will find in this charming village on the Amalfi Coast. There are still stories to be uncovered along its medieval streets, garden villas and ancient stone pathways.

News: World Leaders At U.N., Israel & Turkey Ties Restored, Trump Probe

The UN General Assembly begins against the backdrop of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Will progress be achieved? Plus: Israel and Turkey’s rapprochement, the latest on the investigation of Donald Trump, Switzerland’s defence deal for F-35 fighter jets and a report from Pitti Fragranze in Florence.

Front Page: The New York Times – September 21, 2022

Russia Signals Annexation of Parts of Ukraine, Raising Stakes in Fighting

Kremlin-backed officials in four partially occupied regions announced referendums on joining Russia, as Moscow tightens its grip and hints at escalation.

Russia’s Invasion Shadows U.N. Assembly Amid ‘Colossal Global Dysfunction’

Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Emmanuel Macron of France used the gathering as a stage to cast themselves as would-be peacemakers in the war in Ukraine.

Art Events: Hilma Af Klint At Swedenborg In London

The Temple: immersive virtual reality experience

Hilma af Klint dreamt of a spiral-shaped building to house her most important works. According to her notebooks, she wanted it to be built on an island in Sweden but the idea never materialized, and the temple remained an imaginary creation – until now. 

More than a century later, af Klint’s vision has been translated into an immersive VR experience. It takes you on a cosmic journey from the Milky Way, through spirals in nature and into a few of the artist’s most important paintings, some of them even coming alive. 

Hilma af Klint sometimes referred to her temple as a church for a new era and at other times called it a museum. The exact meaning remains open to interpretation. At the same time, her paintings were clearly intended to lead the viewer to levels of awareness beyond that of everyday life. Was it really a physical building she had in mind? Or was it a spiritual site – something existing in another dimension? 

Perhaps her temple, simultaneously spiritual and physical, could not be realised because she did not have access to the right medium. She had no knowledge about the technological possibilities that were to come, and the idea remained on paper. Today things are different. Hilma af Klint’s temple, inspired by the teachings of Christian Rosenkreutz, has arrived with the help of VR. You are invited to enter another world. 

Hilma af Klint The Temple was conceived by Daniel Birnbaum and Kurt Almqvist and directed by Marika Stolpe. The experience was produced by Acute Art and published by Stolpe Publishing. Creative Director – Rodrigo Marques. Music – Andrew Sheriff.

Watch video below for more on Hilma af Klint:

Aging: How Biomarkers Help Diagnose Dementia

Biomarkers are measurable indicators of what’s happening in your body. They can be found in blood, other body fluids, organs, and tissues, and can be used to track healthy processes, disease progression, or even responses to a medication. Biomarkers are an important part of dementia research.

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Design: Laneway Glass House In NSW Australia

Pointing towards the future of urban living, Laneway Glass House is an extended terrace house and a designer’s own inner-city home. Collaborating with Brad Swartz Architects, Henry Wilson reconfigures the spatial plan of an existing residence, establishing an exemplar contemporary space.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to Laneway Glass House 00:21 – The Architect and The Home Owner 00:47 – An Inner-City Location 01:25 – A Rear Lane Addition 01:43 – The Original Brief 02:21 – Flipping The Typical Terrace House 02:56 – The Creation of An Efficient Floor Plan 03:20 – The Spiral Staircase 03:56 – Utilising Materials In Unique Ways 04:20 – The Kitchen 05:01 – Taking Inspiration from Maison de Verre 06:00 – The Architect and The Home Owner’s Favourite Aspects

Settled onto a Darlinghurst laneway branching off Oxford Street, Laneway Glass House is a designer’s own inner-city home that aligns with its built context; a compact terrace house set among others of its kind. Organically brought together, Henry Wilson and Brad Swartz Architects quickly acknowledged the opportunity to build on the site, creating a rear lane addition that would serve as a prototype for similar developments in the future.

Materials are uniquely applied to the residence, suggesting the individual character of the project. In contrast to regular dwellings, this is a designer’s own inner-city home that sees materials used to articulate natural forms and subvert expectations for a compact space. In the kitchen, travertine is employed in a standard size without grout lines, enabling a broad, sophisticated and slab-like presentation. A designer’s own inner-city home, the contemporary kitchen is a room of cleans lines and volumes.

A commercial-like, monolithic space, the kitchen features stainless steel and presents as a formation of blocks slotted together to create a cohesive whole. Fisher & Paykel’s products are easily incorporated into the space – the Integrated Refrigerator seamlessly blends into the joinery and the Minimal Oven and Induction Hob complement the kitchen’s sleek aesthetic.

Paying homage to the Maison de Verre in Paris, glass blocks are employed to reflect and refract natural light whilst maintaining the private interior of a designer’s own inner-city home. Integrated into the façade, the blocks present Laneway Glass House as a shining jewel, sitting upon an otherwise mundane road.

News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious