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Art and Stuff

World of Cats

Season 1, Ep. 2

In episode two Ben Miller uncovers the story behind a unique collage from the Islington Museum in London. 'World of Cats' by Kenneth Halliwell was made in the mid-Sixties while Halliwell was living with his partner, the renowned playwright Joe Orton. Arrange up on a folding screen, it’s a great example of the many subversive collages the pair created around this time, but its playful humour cannot but be seen in the context of the horrific end to their relationship.


You can see the World of Cats screen by visiting https://www.artfund.org/artandstuff

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  • 10. Lobster Telephone

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    In this episode Ben uncovers the curious history behind a defining work of 20th-century Surrealism, Salvador Dali’s Lobster Telephone, part of the collection of National Galleries Scotland. Ben hears from curator Patrick Elliott, who reveals more about the genesis of the work and the man who commissioned it, Edward James; academic Dr Sarah Jackson, whose ‘Crossed Lines’ project examines the representation of the phone in modern literature; and finally, Jamie Ruers of the Freud Museum in London, who reveals more about the connection between Dali and Freud’s theories of the unconscious mind.You can see an image of Lobster Telephone at https://www.artfund.org/artandstuff
  • 9. Spirit of the Carnival

    27:01||Season 1, Ep. 9
    In this episode Ben uncovers the story behind Tam Joseph’s powerful and provocative painting, Spirit of the Carnival, which offers a commentary on the ever-increasing police presence at London’s annual Notting Hill Carnival during the 70s and 80s. Ben hears from guests including Carol Thompson, curator at Wolverhampton Art Gallery; musician and chairman of the Association of Calypsonians UK, Vincent John; filmmaker and journalist Wyn Baptiste, whose father was the director of the carnival in the mid-70s; and Tam Joseph himself, who sheds light on the creation of the work.To see an image of Spirit of the Carnival please visit https://www.artfund.org/whats-on/art-and-stuff
  • 8. Puppet of Aloysius Parker from Thunderbirds

    24:45||Season 1, Ep. 8
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    23:57||Season 1, Ep. 3
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