Music, Art, Creativity and the Countryside

Countless great pieces of music and art are influenced by the natural world and rural landscapes. The works of Ralph Vaughan Williams for example, or Beethoven’s 6th Symphony or Chopin’s Raindrop Prelude are all influenced by the outdoors. Elgar was influenced by his beloved Malvern Hills, Benjamin Britten by the Suffolk coast and Holst theContinue reading “Music, Art, Creativity and the Countryside”

An art project to make cities greener

Make 100 Trees is the latest project by London-based designer and artist Margarita Mitrovic. The concept of the project is to make 100 artworks of trees, which will directly fund the planting of 100 real trees. By depicting each tree in a different style and technique, the artist aims to demonstrate their uniqueness, individuality andContinue reading “An art project to make cities greener”

What is animal studies?

Last week I was lucky enough to be able to attend a BIRTHA funded symposium at the University of Bristol Department of Historical Studies on the subject of ‘Animals and Empire’ – involving a cross disciplinary approach to research in the form of animal studies. The day included papers on subjects as diverse as ‘MulesContinue reading “What is animal studies?”