Twice as Long - Marilyn at the NPG
A visit to the National Portrait Gallery's Marilyn Monroe exhibition, read through the parallel history of photography.
Photography
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A bite out of your wallet
Apple's 'unified memory' is just 'soldered on so you can't upgrade' in a nicer suit. And for £12,500 you still don't get a screen or a keyboard.
International Colander Liberation Day
The eclipse saw colanders liberated from kitchen drawers across the country.
A week, in pictures
Freezing in an emergency isn't fear — it's a failure to retrieve a behavioural template. A go-bag simulation with Year 10–12 students proved the point: only one packed a toothbrush, and almost nobody thought to bring a bag. Try my virtual version built on the train home.
Benton End, Suffolk
Benton End, once home to Cedric Morris and Arthur Lett-Haines and the Colchester–Ipswich art school they ran from it, has reopened its Walled Garden — renewed in collaboration with Sarah Price.
Fourteen
Our dog turns fourteen. A day trip to the North Norfolk coast was the only appropriate way to celebrate on an unexpectedly warm and sunny day.
Views from my kitchen sink
Inspired by Piet Oudolf's philosophy of naturalistic, resilient landscapes, I redesigned the view from my kitchen window and set myself the minor creative challenge of photographing it through that frame across the seasons.
Martin Parr
Everyone has an opinion on Parr. Much of the negativity feels reductive. His work is intentional, using irony and discomfort to generate discourse. Love him or loathe him, his influence, advocacy, and patronage of photography are undeniable—and that is how he should be remembered.
Influential Magazine Covers
The New York Times’ list of the 25 most influential magazine covers sparks debate—subjectivity and omission aside, it reminds us that covers still shape culture. From Time’s haunting 9/11 image to the New Yorker’s restrained symbolism, each great cover captures emotion and its place in time.
7x7 - 14 Sept Edition
A cultural roundup: Real Hackney Dave’s bold screen prints, Professor Alexander’s disaster foresight lecture, a landmark tree photobook, Niwaki’s Field Report, Apple’s awe-inspiring launch, Jony Ive’s design insights, and the urgent crisis of US leadership amid famine and displacement.
7x7 - 7 Sept Edition
BFI screens Love+War on Addario’s fearless lens on conflict; McCullin tours UK; Parr, Flach & Miller talks at Gresham; Wellcome’s Thirst explores water; 50Best celebrates global sandwiches; Vitsoe revives Rams’ 931 bag; retail notes on Desktronic trees & Kolor’s inclusive packing.
Tour of Britain 2025
The Tour of Britain swept past the end of our road, and with only a Leica in hand, I gambled on catching speed with slowness.