Shows
Daily SumUpNew venue aims to 'safeguard' next generation of actorsA theatre in west London is hoping to offer a "lifeline" for freelancers struggling because of the precarious nature of creative industries.Actor Adrian Lester CBE, is patron of SCRUM theatre, a cooperative of actors and writers which opens in Hammersmith on Thursday.The venue is based in the council’s old archives building on Talgarth Road.Co-leads Lucie Dawkins and Dom Applewhite said they hope the centre will fill a resource gap, support artists and "foster the next generation".They added: "In a crisis for the arts, we...2024-09-1902 min
Les idées largesEt si on arrêtait de prendre les gens pour des cons ?Avec Jacques Rancière, philosophe.
Quand les Britanniques ont voté pour le Brexit, ou quand les Américains ont voté pour Trump, on a beaucoup entendu qu’ils avaient “mal voté”, qu’ils s’étaient “fait avoir par les fake news”, et qu’ils étaient “ignorants”. Jacques Rancière est philosophe, professeur émérite à l'Université de Paris VIII et il fait partie des penseurs de la démocratie qui m’ont le plus marquée intellectuellement. L’une de ses hypothèses les plus puissantes est “l’égalité des intelligences”, une idée qui contredit donc complètement la tendance actuelle à déplorer...2023-08-3121 min
The Lonely Pipette : helping scientists do better scienceTLP #24 : The untold power of philosophy - Thomas PradeuThis week, we meet our first philosopher guest - Thomas Pradeu tells us what scientist can learn from philosophers Thomas shares his journey navigating from philosophy to immunology and biologyHe explains the difference between ‘philosophy IN biology’ compared to ‘philosophy OF biology’He mentions ‘mutual ignorance’ - that scientists often don’t know about philosophers who would be interested in their scienceThomas argues that philosophers should be brought in at the beginning of a project rather than at the end. He describes his model for embedding philosophers within a biology research environmentHe gives lots of specific examples, from...2023-06-141h 15
Museum SecretsSubscribe to Fingerprints, a new Ashmolean podcastEvery object in the Ashmolean has passed from hand to hand to reach the Museum. In a new podcast, we uncover the invisible fingerprints left behind by makers, looters, archaeologists, soldiers, rulers, curators, and many more. These stories of touch reveal the ways in which the forces of conflict and colonialism have shaped Britain’s oldest Museum. Join the Ashmolean’s curators alongside artists, experts, and community members, for our new podcast: Fingerprints.Fingerprints will be released on the Ashmolean’s website, on Spotify, Apple, and wherever you get your podcasts, weekly from 21 January 2022 until 25 February 2022.Fin...2021-12-2102 min
Objects Out LoudSubscribe to Fingerprints, a new Ashmolean podcastEvery object in the Ashmolean has passed from hand to hand to reach the Museum. In a new podcast, we uncover the invisible fingerprints left behind by makers, looters, archaeologists, soldiers, rulers, curators, and many more. These stories of touch reveal the ways in which the forces of conflict and colonialism have shaped Britain’s oldest Museum. Join the Ashmolean’s curators alongside artists, experts, and community members, for our new podcast: Fingerprints.Fingerprints will be released on the Ashmolean’s website, on Spotify, Apple, and wherever you get your podcasts, weekly from 21 January 2022 until 25 February 2022.Fin...2021-12-2102 min
Not True, But Useful... A Cheek by Jowl PodcastSeries 3, Episode 1 - MacbethWelcome back for another series of Not True, But Useful! To kick off Series 3, Declan and Nick join Lucie Dawkins to discuss Macbeth, a play that continues to reveal new things to us, including the universal problems of loneliness, gratitude, and the danger of trying to solve life's great mysteries.More information about Cheek by Jowl's production of Macbeth here.The music in this episode was composed by Catherine Jayes for Cheek by Jowl's 2009-2011 production of Macbeth.Join our mailing list to keep up-to-date with Cheek by Jowl’s ne...2021-05-2833 min
Museum SecretsA Miniature MasterpieceJoin Mallica Kumbera Landrus, the Keeper of Eastern Art, as she introduces us to a tiny drawing made by a child genius. This scrap of paper tells a story of cultures embracing each other across vast distances and the curiosity of one exceptional 13 year old boy in Mughal India, 421 years ago. Christ on the Cross, Albrecht Dürer, 1511 - Find out moreSaint John the Evangelist, Abu l'-Hasan, 1600–1601 - Find out moreIf you want to take a closer look at the objects in this episode, you can view them at the links above, or...2021-05-2813 minMuseum SecretsToad Vaccines and Magical JewelleryJoin curator Matthew Winterbottom as he explores ancient beliefs about disease testing and vaccines, through the Ashmolean’s collection of toadstone rings. These bizarre pieces of jewellery have a lot to tell us about the human effort to find hope in the face of illness and uncertainty, even when it involves the strangest superstitions. And at the end of the day, it turns out that toadstones have nothing to do with toads after all… Charm ring with toadstone – Find out moreGold and toadstone ring - Find out more2021-05-2108 minMuseum SecretsRules for LifeIn this episode we take a look at an understated little painting by the artist Gwen John, which hides complex depths. Gwen was one of the greatest and least known artists of the 20th century, who lived a life according to her own rules – literally. Her memos to herself are a guidebook for finding joy in solitude, and living largely and deeply on your own terms.The Convalescent, by Gwen John – Find out moreIf you want to take a closer look at painting in this episode, you can view it at t...2021-05-1409 minMuseum SecretsOpening the BoxJoin teaching curator Jim Harris as he peers inside a tiny tortoiseshell box. The little box holds a secret portrait of a woman, with a lock of her hair. The tiny empty space inside is stuffed with hidden stories, about wealth and the often ugly means of making it. This polite and pretty little box has so much us to tell us about memory.Portrait of Sophie Schutz in a tortoiseshell box – Find out moreIf you want to take a closer look at artwork in this episode, you can view it...2021-05-0716 minMuseum SecretsDevilry and Pink RibbonsJoin An Van Camp, the Assistant Keeper of Northern European Art, as she lifts the lid on some strange boxes in the Museum's stores. Some contain witches, others devils, others letters of the alphabet wrapped in pink ribbons. They all belonged to the same man – the eccentric Francis Douce. Dürer drawing of two witches – Find out morePortrait of Francis Douce – Find out moreIf you want to take a closer look at artworks relating to this episode, you can view them at the links above...2021-04-3014 minMuseum SecretsSoaring Above the CloudsJoin Clare Pollard, the Curator of Japanese Art, as she gives us a tour of Japan’s first skyscraper, through a vibrant and intriguing print, with some hidden surprises. It tells a story of a turning point in Japanese history, and also doubles as a board game. Ryōunkaku Tower Game – Find out moreIf you want to take a closer look at the woodblock print in this episode, you can view it at the link above, or visit the podcast page on the Ashmolean website: ashmolean.org/museum-secretsProducer: Lucie Dawkin...2021-04-2312 minMuseum SecretsAncient Egyptian Family FeudMeet Naunakhte, an Ancient Egyptian mother who has a bone to pick. There are only a handful of surviving records of the voices of Ancient Egyptian women, and here in the Ashmolean, we have one of them. Her last will and testament reveals a story of a family argument which still sounds familiar over three millennia later.Naunakhte's will – Find out moreIf you want to find out more about the object in this episode, you can read more on Wikipedia at the link above, or to take a closer look at it visit the podcast pa...2021-04-1608 minMuseum SecretsWindmills and WagersLockdown is slowly lifting, and this week, the pubs will be opening outdoors again in Oxford. To get us in the right frame of mind, curator Matthew Winterbottom takes us on a tour of historical drinking games in the Ashmolean. We meet a windmill in the silver gallery, with more to it than meets the eye.Cup in the form of a windmill – View it hereCup in the form of an owl – View it hereCup in the form of a bear – View it hereCup in the fo...2021-04-0906 minMuseum SecretsBeneath the BlueLots of objects in the Ashmolean have got secrets hidden under their surface. Join the Ashmolean’s Conservation Research Fellow and colour detective Tea Ghigo, as she looks at a special bookcase with a suspicious shade of turquoise on it. Armed with an X-ray spectrometer and an infrared camera, she’s managed to find something strange lurking beneath the blue.When Tea looks at this bookcase, she sees a Venetian carnival and smells citrus fruits. What about you?The Great Bookcase – View it hereIf you want to take a closer look a...2021-04-0212 minMuseum SecretsA Sitting DuckSpring is in the air, and families of ducks are out in force in Oxford. Paul Collins, the Ashmolean Museum's Jaleh Hearn Curator of the Ancient Near East, introduces us to ancient duck with a cheerful story to tell. From the ducks of the time of the pharaohs to the ducks of today, Paul explores this timeless symbol of better times to come. Box in the form of a duck – View it hereIf you want to take a closer look at the object in this episode, you can view it at the li...2021-03-2609 minMuseum SecretsTRAILER: Museum Secrets – Series 2, Coming SoonIt's been a really hard first few months to 2021, so here at the Ashmolean, we've been putting together another series of Museum Secrets to cheer us all up. Join Lucie Dawkins for more bite-sized adventures behind the locked doors at the Museum. We'll be finding tales of hope, cheer and reflection, just long enough to enjoy over a cup of tea. Every week, we'll be bringing you stories about a jaunty duck, historical drinking games, one of the world's first skyscrapers, an ancient Egyptian mum with attitude, and a box full of witches. Join us every Friday for your...2021-03-2501 min
Objects Out LoudCrazy for LoveCould Shakespeare have been inspired by Arabic and Persian poetry? Did Romeo and Juliet have their origins in the Bedouin nomads of the Levant? Join Francesca Leoni as she takes us through the ancient love story of Layla and Majnun, through the lens of a jewel-like miniature painting in the Ashmolean’s archives. In this episode, you’ll hear the poetry of Shakespeare and Nizami Ganjavi.Poetry in this episodeRomeo and Juliet, by William ShakespeareLayli wa Majnun, by Nizami Ganjavi, with a prose translation by Rudolph GelpkeArtwork in t...2021-03-1216 minObjects Out LoudVanishing Into the DarkMeet Paolo Uccello’s spine-tingling painting The Hunt in Forest, with a mysterious vanishing point right at its very heart. It is an image which has fascinated poets, including Derek Mahon and John Burnside, who both wrote collections inspired by this 600 year old painting. John Burnside joins host Lucie Dawkins in this episode, to talk about why The Hunt in the Forest has gripped his imagination, and we also hear a reading of Derek Mahon’s poem. What do you see when you stare into the place where everything vanishes?Poems in this epis...2021-03-0517 minObjects Out LoudNot Just a Pretty FaceLizzie Siddall was the 19th century’s proto-supermodel. Her beauty inspired the artists and poets of her generation, who presented her as a mysterious, fairytale creature. We tend to know her through the filter of the men who painted her, but in the archives of the Ashmolean Museum, you can encounter the real Lizzie. Behind the silent muse of Pre-Raphaelite art was a vibrant, creative woman, who was herself a talented poet and artist. In this episode, meet one of history’s most famous models, on her own terms. Two men in a boat and a woman punt...2021-02-2626 minObjects Out LoudPoetic Presents and Picture PuzzlesIn this episode, Clare Pollard, the Curator of Japanese Art, and researcher Kiyoko Hanaoka introduce us to surimono prints, which combined poems and picture puzzles in beautiful objects designed to be exchanged as gifts by members of Japanese poetry clubs. Join them as they decode the clues in these complex and beautiful prints.The priest Sōjō Henjō, who fell – a woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyasu (1794–1832)View this onlineOno no Tōfu – a woodblock print by Totoya Hokkei (1780 - 1850)View this onlineIf you want to take a clo...2021-02-1921 minObjects Out LoudMichelangelo and MonstersIn 1506, Michelangelo witnessed the excavation of a long-lost Roman sculpture, showing a battle between man and monster. This sculpture has inspired writers and artists for generations, including Vergil and Goethe. Meet the Laocoon group, and hear these writers in their own words.The Laocoon Group – View this onlineIf you want to take a closer look at the object mentioned in this episode, you can view it at the link above. Visit the podcast page on the Ashmolean website: ashmolean.org/objects-out-loudHosted by Lucie Dawkins, with th...2021-02-1215 minObjects Out LoudThe Queen's MagicianWhat connects James Bond and Shakespeare? The answer: John Dee, magician, spy, theatre director, and inventor of the British Empire. Take a journey through his bizarre and extraordinary life, and hear him speak in his own words, alongside the poetry from Shakespeare and Marlowe.Portrait of John Dee c. 1594 – View the paintingIf you want to take a closer look at the painting mentioned in this episode, you can view it at the link above. Visit the podcast page on the Ashmolean website: ashmolean.org/objects-out-loudHosted by...2021-02-0516 minObjects Out LoudTRAILER: Objects Out Loud – Poetry and Literature Hidden in the CollectionsFrom a magician who inspired Shakespeare, and poems woven into Japanese prints, to manuscripts illuminated with the ancient love story of Layla and Majnun, this new podcast series will delve into the poetry and literature hidden in the collections at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. Join us each Friday, from 5 February, for a new audio adventure.Objects Out Loud is produced and presented by Lucie Dawkins.2021-01-2800 minMuseum SecretsThe Ghost PainterShelagh Vainker, the Curator of Chinese Art, introduces us to Miao Jiahui, the ‘ghost painter’ of the Chinese Empress Dowager. The Ashmolean holds a rare painting of some peonies, in which she came out of the shadows by signing her name as the artist.Peonies by Miao Jiahui – View it hereIf you want to take a closer look at the painting discussed in this episode, you can view it at the link above, or visit the podcast page on the Ashmolean website: ashmolean.org/museum-secretsProducer: Lucie DawkinsPresenters: Lucie...2021-01-1507 minMuseum SecretsThe Masked MatriarchCatherine Whistler, Keeper of the Western Art Department, introduces us to Titian’s Triumph of Love, an amusing painting which hides a secret: it was once the cover of a portrait of one of the most formidable women in Venice.Titian’s Triumph of Love – View it hereIf you want to take a closer look at Titian’s Triumph of Love, you can view it at the link above, or visit the podcast page on the Ashmolean website: ashmolean.org/museum-secretsProducer: Lucie DawkinsPresenters: Lucie Dawkins and Cath...2021-01-1410 minMuseum SecretsThe Invention of EmpathyPodcast host Lucie Dawkins takes a look at John Singer Sargent’s drawing of Vernon Lee in the Ashmolean Collection. Vernon was a genderqueer trailblazer who invented the word ‘empathy’ in the English language.Portrait of Vernon Lee – View it hereIf you want to take a closer look at John Singer Sargent’s drawing of Vernon Lee, you can view it at the link above, or visit the podcast page on the Ashmolean website: ashmolean.org/museum-secretsProducer and Presenter: Lucie DawkinsAbout Museum Secrets: The cura...2021-01-1307 minMuseum SecretsMore Tea, Vicar?Jim Harris, Andrew W Mellon Teaching Curator at the Ashmolean, tells us the story of a silver teapot hiding a rude joke underneath it. Please be advised in advance that this episode contains an expletive.Silver Teapot – View it hereIf you want to take a closer look at the silver teapot discussed in this episode, you can view it at the link above, or visit the podcast page on the Ashmolean website: ashmolean.org/museum-secretsProducer: Lucie DawkinsPresenters: Lucie Dawkins and Jim HarrisAbout Museum Se...2021-01-1212 minMuseum SecretsGlobetrotting ArtAisha Burtenshaw, Head of Registrars and Exhibitions, takes us on a trip around the world with objects from the Ashmolean Museum.Producer: Lucie DawkinsPresenters: Lucie Dawkins and Aisha BurtenshawAbout Museum Secrets: The curators at the University of Oxford's Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology have been recording bite-sized tales of the wonderful, and sometimes unexpected, life of a museum. We can’t wait to share them with you! Join us every weekday for 3 weeks, from 28 December onwards, for a daily dose of cheer. Find out more on the podcast page on...2021-01-1108 minMuseum SecretsUpcycling and Glad RagsFrancesca Leoni, the Ashmolean’s Curator of Islamic Art, tells the story of an up-cycled Cretan wedding dress which found its way to the UK as a cushion cover. Cretan Cushion Cover – View it hereIf you want to take a closer look at the cushion cover discussed in this episode, you can view it at the link above, or visit the podcast page on the Ashmolean website: ashmolean.org/museum-secretsProducer: Lucie DawkinsPresenters: Lucie Dawkins and Francesca LeoniAbout Museum Secrets: The curators at the...2021-01-0809 minMuseum SecretsDamaged by LightTextiles Conservator Sue Stanton reveals a green and gold Turkish wedding gown, which she uncovered deep in the storerooms of the Ashmolean. It contains a story of the dangers of too much light.Wedding Gown – View it hereConservation at the Ashmolean – Read moreIf you want to take a closer look at the wedding gown discussed in this episode, you can view it at the link above, or visit the podcast page on the Ashmolean website: ashmolean.org/museum-secretsProducer: Lucie DawkinsPresenters: Lucie Dawkins and...2021-01-0706 minMuseum SecretsBroken And BeautifulClare Pollard, Curator of Japanese Art, introduces us to a beautifully broken Japanese plate, and Head of Conservation, Daniel Bone, takes us inside the conservation labs and tells us about the art of caring for the beautiful and the broken objects in the collection.Japanese Plate – View it hereConservation at the Ashmolean – Read moreIf you want to take a closer look at the plate Clare talks about in this episode, you can view it at the link above, or visit the podc...2021-01-0608 minMuseum SecretsRequiem for a PugAlison Pollard, Lecturer at Oxford University, takes us to meet a very special marble table in the Ashmolean’s Arundel Collection, which was repurposed as a tombstone for a beloved pug dog. Doug the Pug – View Alison’s photograph of DougTable top – View it hereTable legs – View it hereHenrietta Louisa Fermor – View a portrait / Read about herIf you want to take a closer look at the sculptures in this epis...2021-01-0506 minMuseum SecretsThe Camel Who Escaped the NazisPodcast host Lucie Dawkins takes us to meet a Tang Dynasty Camel, who came to Oxford in the suitcase of a Jewish refugee Paul Jacobsthal.Tang Dynasty Camel – View it hereIf you want to take a closer look at the camel discussed in this episode, you can view it at the link above, or visit the podcast page on the Ashmolean website: ashmolean.org/museum-secretsProducer and Presenter: Lucie DawkinsAbout Museum Secrets: The curators at the University of Oxford's Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology ha...2021-01-0410 minMuseum SecretsForms and MusicLena Fritsch, the Ashmolean Museum’s Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, shares a story about the colourful prints of Peter Hedegaard. In them, she found a hidden connection with her own father, and a secret story about love and friendship that crosses borders.To see these prints for your yourself, please visit the podcast page on the Ashmolean website: ashmolean.org/museum-secretsProducer: Lucie DawkinsPresenters: Lucie Dawkins and Lena FritschAbout Museum Secrets: The curators at the University of Oxford's Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology have been re...2021-01-0109 minMuseum SecretsA Light at the End of the TunnelShailendra Bhandare shares some very special coins with one of the first images of Buddha as a future saviour. He reflects on the way that humans have always been eager to imagine saviour figures, to help us find hope in dark times. Shailendra is Curator of South Asian and Far Eastern Coins at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.If you want to take a closer look at the coins discussed in this episode, please visit the podcast page on the Ashmolean website: ashmolean.org/museum-secretsProducer: Lucie DawkinsPresenters: Lucie Dawkins and Shailendra Bhandare2020-12-3109 minMuseum SecretsThe Ancient Art of ManscapingIn this episode, host Lucie Dawkins reveals the Ancient Greek art of styling pubic hair, and why it gives us important clues to understanding ancient sculptures.1. Cast of the Terme Boxer – View this online2. Cast of Apollo – View this online3. Painted cast of Augustus – View this online4. The Metropolitan Museum kouros – Find out more5. Cast of the Kritios Boy – View this onlineIf you want to take a closer look at the sculptures in this episode, you can find them at th...2020-12-3009 minMuseum SecretsIndecent Sculptures for Decent MuseumsJim Harris joins host Lucie Dawkins to talk about detachable genitalia in the Cast Gallery at the Ashmolean Museum, and the history of prudishness in ancient art. Jim Harris is the Andrew W Mellon Teaching Curator at the Ashmolean.Cast of the Laocoön group – View this onlineIf you want to take a closer look at the Laocoön cast Jim discusses in this episode, you can view it at the link above, or visit the podcast page on the Ashmolean website: ashmolean.org/museum-secretsProducer: Lucie DawkinsPresenters: Lucie...2020-12-2910 minMuseum SecretsOn Time and AsparagusThe Director of the University of Oxford's Ashmolean Museum, Xa Sturgis, takes a walk around the museum's Still Life Gallery, pondering over time and asparagus.Still Life of Fruit and Flowers, Clara Peeters – View the paintingStill Life of Asparagus, Adriaen S. Coorte – View the paintingIf you want to take a closer look at the paintings he discusses in this episode, you can view them at the links above, or visit the podcast page on the Ashmolean website: ashmolean.org/museum-secretsPr...2020-12-2806 minMuseum SecretsTRAILER: Museum Secrets – Series 1The curators at the University of Oxford's Ashmolean Museum have been recording bite-sized tales of the wonderful, and sometimes unexpected, life of a museum, and we can’t wait to share them with you! Join us every weekday for 3 weeks, from 28 December 2020 , for a daily dose of cheer.Museum Secrets is produced and presented by Lucie Dawkins.Support the show2020-12-1801 min
Not True, But Useful... A Cheek by Jowl PodcastSeries 2 TrailerCheek by Jowl are back with a new series of 'Not True, But Useful...' as Declan Donnellan, Nick Ormerod and host Lucie Dawkins bring fresh insights on theatre, life and what the classics can tell us about how we live now. Like and subscribe to get the latest episodes as they're released in November!Trailer music by Paddy Cunneen, originally composed for Cheek by Jowl's 2016-17 production of The Winter's Tale.www.cheekbyjowl.com/podcast/2020-11-1201 min
Not True, But Useful... A Cheek by Jowl PodcastEpisode 1 - Thoughts from Inside QuarantineIn this first episode, Cheek by Jowl's Artistic Director Declan Donnellan talks to Lucie Dawkins about his thoughts on life, quarantine, making theatre, the brain and Macbeth, while he writes the follow-up to his book The Actor And The Target. Music by Pavel Akimkin. Follow Cheek by Jowl on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.Full transcripts of episodes are available upon request. Please contact info@cheekbyjowl.com to request a copy.2020-04-2133 min