Text of speech given at Wivenhoe House on June 3rd 2023, on the occasion of my 80th birthday. Reasons to be Cheerful : that so many people managed to actually get here despite no trains, traffic jams and all the other impediments to everyday life . Reason not to be so cheerful: we had to cancel the band and the big birthday bash due to the strikes . So I am … [Read more...] about In Praise of the Heimlich Manoeuvre
UNEASY LIES THE HEAD : ON LOSING THE ROYAL TOUCH NOW AND THEN
Note: This is a revised and updated text of an article originally published in Livingmaps Review and posted online in 2021. It is due to appear in a new collection of occasional piece Waypoints Volume 2 : Studies in the Grey Zone, to be published by eyeglass books in the Autumn of 2023. How do you map a monarchy? Depict the location of its palaces and other … [Read more...] about UNEASY LIES THE HEAD : ON LOSING THE ROYAL TOUCH NOW AND THEN
ON LIVING IN A GREY ZONE
This text is an introduction to Waypoints Volume 2 , a new collection of occasional writings from the last five years due to be published in the Autumn by eyeglass books. INTRODUCTION : ON LIVING IN A GREY ZONE Taking sides On the day I am writing this the following happened : I heard that a friend of mine , a life long smoker, had been diagnosed with … [Read more...] about ON LIVING IN A GREY ZONE
On being left behind : the haunting legacies of London 2012
This is the text of a talk I gave to a conference examining the legacy of the London 2012 Olympics ten years on, organised by University College London in September 2022. The talk was accompanied by a Powerpoint. As evening drew on we went to what was left of Tower Bridge to watch ‘The Post-Olympic Dream’, marveling at the flickering figures as they vaulted over … [Read more...] about On being left behind : the haunting legacies of London 2012
A SCENE FROM AN UNMADE FILM
In memory of Mantas Kvedaravicius,documentary film maker, killed in Mariupolis,, aged 43, by Russian Federation forces on April 4 2022. This text appears in Livingmaps Review 12. The Long Room in Putin’s Palace on the Russian Black Sea Coast. The room is furnished in the style of Louis XIV, with ornate gilt framed mirrors on the walls. At the far end there is a bigger … [Read more...] about A SCENE FROM AN UNMADE FILM