It’s the journey of her life: musician Petra travels all the way from Berlin to eastern Iran, via Anatolia, in search of the origins of her favorite string instrument: the. It’s the journey of her life: Petra Nachtmanova travels to both the end of the world and the centre of her heart. The Berlin musician heads off in search of the origins of a string instrument tangled in myths, which found its way to her in the streets of Berlin […]
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Roundabouts are enjoying increasing popularity among urban planners, but also artists. We embark on an entertaining tour of Europe and introduce artists who are exhibiting their work in the middle of traffic islands. What do giant kiwis, suspended taps and luminous rolls of paper have in common? They’re pieces of art on display in the centre of traffic roundabouts, that are attracting visitor numbers museums can only dream of! Roundabouts are becoming increasingly popular because they are safer, cheaper and […]
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He was an icon, flamboyant pianist, egomaniac, showman par excellence: Liberace – the King of Bling – enjoyed an unparalleled career. The salon pianist turned megastar lived the American dream, but it was a life of unmatched paradox and eccentricity. He was an icon, flamboyant pianist, egomaniac, showman par excellence: Liberace – the King of Bling, led his life in the fast lanes between Hollywood, Las Vegas and Palm Springs. In the middle of the Californian desert, where Hollywood stars […]
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Othmar Ammann, a Swiss-American structural engineer, designed more than half of the eleven bridges that connect New York City to the rest of the United States. We tell his adventure-filled story. The engineer Othmar Ammann left Switzerland in 1904 to redefine the art of bridge-building in America. He designed more than half of the eleven bridges that connect New York City to the rest of the United States. His constructions changed the face of New York forever. Beyond the life […]
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Of Polynesia’s once sacred sites, the stone temples or marae, all that is left today are ruins. We explore their secrets and significance for Polynesian culture. Polynesians once lived in harmony with the elements and the afterworld. Stones had a special religious significance in Polynesian culture. They were sculpted into representations of ancestral spirits to invoke protection, they were guardians of territories, windows to heaven and the stars. And they were used to build temples, or marae. Today, around 250 […]
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America’s history through the lens of the African American experience: We take a journey through the spectacular new National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. For a hundred years it was demanded, dismissed, and postponed. Since September 2016 it has stood like a bronze beacon in the middle of Washington, D.C.: the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Across 100,000 square feet of exhibition space spread across eight levels, the museum explores America’s history […]
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Typographer Hermann Zapf’s career spanned seven decades. He designed over two hundred fonts, among them Optima, Palatino and Zapfino, which are installed on every Apple computer. An extraordinary lifework. What Beethoven is to music and what Michelangelo is to sculpture – according to one of his former students – this is what Hermann Zapf (1918-2015) is to the arts of calligraphy, type design and typography. The German typographer’s career spanned over seven decades, during which he designed more than two […]
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Andrea Mantegna and Giovanni Bellini are among the most important artists of the Early Renaissance. Their work was closely interlinked and yet they remained rivals throughout their lives. Who were these men? Both born in Italy in the 15th century, Andrea Mantegna and Giovanni Bellini became the most important artists of the Early Renaissance, although they could not have been more different. The two painters, who were brothers-in-law, influenced each other’s work for many years, but throughout their lives they […]
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Italian Rinaldo Rinaldi one of the last set painters to produce their huge backdrops in specially constructed spaces in theatres. An excursion into the magical world of the theatre. Rinaldo Rinaldi is one of the last set painters to produce their huge backdrops in specially constructed spaces in old theatres. Traditionally, these halls were passed on from one set painter to another but nowadays their work is increasingly outsourced. Rinaldo Rinaldi has been at the Teatro Comunale Modena in Italy […]
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Bugatti – a name that is synonymous with records, speed and aesthetic shapes. We tell the story of a family that is still a myth today despite – or perhaps because of – its turbulent past. Bugatti – a name that’s synonymous with records, speed and aesthetic shapes. We tell the story of a family of fanatics. Father Carlo Bugatti was a painter, designer and architect who designed extravagant furniture for European dynasties at the end of the 19th century. […]
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Edgar Froese, electronic music pioneer and founder of the band Tangerine Dream, was on a lifelong mission to find the ultimate sound. A tribute to the musician, who died in 2015, and to the era of electronic music. “Tangerine Dream is science fiction!” Electronic music pioneer Edgar Froese founded the band Tangerine Dream at the end of the 1960s. He was on a lifelong mission to find the ultimate sound. He used heartbeats and breathing sounds, and experimented with synthesizers […]
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From rock star to politician. Freddy Lim, Taiwan’s most political heavy metal singer, pursues his own unique career from passionate stage performer to active member of parliament. We accompany him for one year. Shaking his long hair and yelling hoarsely into the microphone, Freddy Lim from Taiwan is in his element performing on stage as the lead singer of his heavy metal band. But he’s no less passionate about his political career. In 2015, he founded the New Power Party […]
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