Category: Uncategorized

This week the playlist features these tracks. Kara Toprak (Black Earth) by Fazil Say and Hunter Noak Fazil Say, the Turkish composer and pianist, meets Hunter Noak, a classical pianist, in this opening piece on the playlist. Australian Aboriginal Music by Didgeridoo Aboriginal Dreamtime. The didgeridoo (officially spelt as “Didjeridu”) of Australia is ancient, at…

The native flora and fauna of Aotearoa New Zealand is often newsworthy but what of its introduced species? From the earliest days of human habitation the islands have been home to life brought in from elsewhere. Polynesian rats (kiore) and dogs (kurī) came to Aotearoa with Māori sailors, introductions that were followed by others in…

Indonesian Gendhing Gamelan The gamelan music of Indonesia is on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Made up mainly of percussive instruments, gamelan orchestras may include xylophones, gongs, metalophones, voices and flutes. This piece has been included because of the article about the Cia-Cia language from Indonesia. Hangul – Orchestra Fratiler Advahov Although this piece relates…

In 2023, UK-based artist, Young In Hong, visited the demilitarised zone that divides the Korean Peninsula. The area, once the site of war, is now a haven, a place where nature has reclaimed the land. Rare cranes now inhabit the zone along with many other endangered creatures and plants. In an artwork inspired by the…

Each week the blog is accompanied by a curation of songs and audio. Each of the pieces in the Spotify playlist has been chosen to reflect the articles on the blog, sometimes obviously and sometimes less so. To listen, click on the player above or head to Spotify where you can search for “Music to…

This week a regular reader of the blog mentioned that it could be a little difficult to navigate. Each week, as you know, an email goes out with all the links in it to the articles on the blog. Many of you click on the links to go to each article and then head back…

This week we are away to Whangerei where I am giving a talk at the Costume and Textile Association of New Zealand Symposium. The talk is on Shetland Tweed and it is the first time I have spoken at the Symposium. After that we are travelling northwards for a week or so. The blog will…

If you like quilting, here is an artist who makes quilts with a difference… Read more: Wally Dion Thank you to our reader who sent this link in to share.

Each week a curated list of music and sounds is created to go along with the blog. Each of the pieces reflects something on the blog, sometimes obviously and sometimes less so. To listen click on the Player button above. Full subscriptions will hear all the pieces, free subscriptions will hear the audio with advertising…