pd

Jan Dalley and Peter Aspden discuss A History of the World in 100 Objects

As the final object is revealed, FT arts editor Jan Dalley talks to Peter Aspden about the significance of the BBC Radio 4 series 'A History of the World in 100 Objects' presented by Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum.  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Peter Aspden on David Bowie and the end of HMV

Thinking differently is what makes Bowie stand out in the noisy world that killed off HMV. And it will be the key skill in the disembodied cultural universe of the future, says FT arts writer Peter Aspden.  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Peter Aspden on Philip Glass's Walt Disney opera

Based on a novel by Peter Stephan Jungk, 'The Perfect American' is the story of one of the 20th century's biggest entertainment moguls. The FT's arts writer gives his verdict on the work's premiere at the Teatro Real, Madrid.  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Peter Aspden on the heritage impulse

With "The Rite of Spring" in Paris and the Armory Show in New York, 1913 was a key moment for modernism. But it also marked a turning point in Britain's attitude to its past, says the FT's culture columnist  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Peter Aspden on Mat Collishaw and recession art

The FT's arts writer reports on Mat Collishaw's transition from conceptual shock artist to ‘proper’ draughtsman - and why, unlike revolution or virgin birth, an economic recession makes a poor subject for art  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Quiet, please: Peter Aspden on Kraftwerk and crucifixions

The German band’s shows at Tate Modern were wildly oversubscribed. But hot tickets and artistic pleasure don’t necessarily go hand in hand, says the FT’s arts writer  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Pop artist: Peter Aspden on Dinos Chapman’s first album

With his brother Jake, the British artist has tackled some of modernity’s grisliest themes. The FT’s arts writer finds out why he’s now trying his hand at music  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

The buzz business: Peter Aspden on the branding of culture

Like it or not, the vibrancy of London’s art scene is due in part to the efforts of marketeers, public relations teams and great coffee shops, says the FT’s arts writer,  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

The birth of dramedy: Peter Aspden on Steptoe and Son

As a stage version of the classic BBC sitcom comes to London, the FT’s arts writer reflects on the series’ pioneering mix of comedy and drama  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Emir-art: Peter Aspden reports from the Sharjah Biennial

The emirate’s contemporary arts event considers some thorny regional issues in a deceptively laid-back way, says the FT’s arts writer  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Only in France? Peter Aspden on cultural stereotypes

We love French culture, yet according to a recent study there’s something in it that makes the French miserable. But every nation’s artistic mindset has its drawbacks, argues the FT’s arts writer  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Shock of the nude: Peter Aspden on Qatar’s statue problem

Doha’s aspiration to become a global centre for culture is admirable – its squeamishness over ancient Greek sculptures less so, says the FT’s arts writer  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Take it easy: Peter Aspden on The Eagles’ mellow magic

As a new documentary profiles the soft rock megastars, the FT’s arts writer reflects on their dramatic fall from grace – and their enduring appeal  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

The US connection: Peter Aspden on cinema’s exception culturelle

Europe’s film-makers want protection from the might of Hollywood. That’s understandable, argues the FT’s arts writer, but also wrong-headed: the two traditions are deeply intertwined  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Focus, schmocus: Peter Aspden on distraction

As Margate’s Turner Contemporary gallery celebrates curiosity, the FT’s arts writer does his best to concentrate on the mind’s ability to wander  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

A different league: Peter Aspden on our soccer psychosis

The praise lavished on football’s retiring greats has been wildly overblown, says the FT’s arts writer. Other cultural pursuits are far worthier of grown-ups’ attention  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

History's second draft: Peter Aspden on theatre and the news

Where there is a public clamour for explanation, writers and artists should be unafraid to step in, says the FT's arts writer  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Going soft: Peter Aspden on the cultural wealth of nations

Countries are vying to project their worth through art, sport and broadcasting. But ‘soft power’ is not always easy to control, says the FT’s arts writer  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

After the spring: Peter Aspden on the Shubbak Festival

Visa problems and nervousness on the part of potential sponsors have made life hard for London’s festival of contemporary Arab culture. But as the Arab Spring gives way to harsher realities, such forums are needed more than ever, says the FT’s arts writer  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Howdy, Podner! Peter Aspden on Las Vegas’s heritage impulse

The Nevada resort, a byword for pleasure-seeking in the here and now, is starting to take its history seriously, says the FT’s arts writer  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Sound of sci-fi: Peter Aspden on the Dr Who Prom

Braving Daleks and Cybermen at the Royal Albert Hall, the FT’s arts writer reflects on the unlikely synergy between classical music and a children’s sci-fi series  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Spasticus artisticus: Peter Aspden on Ian Dury

The late pop singer, whose work has just gone on show at London’s Royal College of Art, was a far more nuanced figure than his punk image would suggest, argues the FT’s arts writer  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Party on! Peter Aspden on beach bar music

It’s loud, insistent, adolescent and playing now at a Mediterranean resort near you. And as the FT’s arts writer finds, there’s no way you’ll ever get the volume turned down  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Look, don’t sketch: Peter Aspden on the V&A’s blockbuster dilemma

Citing pressure of visitor numbers, the museum banned sketching at its recent “David Bowie Is” exhibition – a move that shows how hard it is for curators to reconcile accessibility and academic values, the FT’s arts writer says  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Puccini vs the Twitterverse: Peter Aspden finds shelter in the stalls

Culture is becoming a refuge for the digitally brutalised: an evening at the opera, or cinema, or theatre, is where we go to escape technological overload, the FT’s arts writer argues  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Something old, something new: Peter Aspden on the classic with a twist

Spicing up traditional settings with a dash of contemporary style has become a cultural commonplace. But let’s not pretend it’s anything more than an aesthetic compromise, the FT’s arts writer says  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

A messy business: Peter Aspden on sex

A forthcoming season on Channel 4 aims to demystify our sexual behaviour – to be ‘open’ and ‘honest’ about a 'normal part of all our lives'. Good luck with that, says the FT’s arts writer  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Tomorrow people: Peter Aspden on FutureFest

The Futurists’ fervent belief in progress heralded disaster; now we worry about what the future will bring. But the FT’s arts writer finds grounds for optimism – and an unexpectedly hippy vibe – at a London ideas festival  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Auteur ego: Peter Aspden on Bertolucci

A new film portrait of the Italian director reveals a man unafraid to confront difficult questions. It’s a kind of artistic responsibility that now feels old-fashioned, the FT’s arts writer says  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Bryte star: Peter Aspden on Nick Drake

Neglected in his lifetime, the singer-songwriter is now revered, as an event devoted to his album ‘Bryter Later’ demonstrates. But it’s doubtful his genius would have flourished any better in today’s impatient world, the FT’s arts writer says  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Soul power: Peter Aspden on icons

The market for Orthodox icons has been revivified by Russian money in recent years – yet the genre’s spiritual charge and innate conservatism make it a challenging field for collectors  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Nap music: Peter Aspden on the UK’s first ‘sleeping gig’

A concert sponsored by insurance company Direct Line aims to help time-challenged audiences snatch some shut-eye – but a wakeful FT arts writer finds that the relationship between art and sleep is not a straightforward one  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Sitcom nation: Peter Aspden on daytime TV

They seem always to be on, but ‘Rules of Engagement’, ‘The Big Bang Theory’ and their ilk shouldn’t be taken for granted: these immaculately crafted, relentlessly inoffensive series open a window on American society  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Space adventure: Peter Aspden on Philippe Parreno

The French conceptualist’s exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo is a sense-scrambling rethink of the relationship between art and the environment in which it appears  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Restoration drama: Peter Aspden on Kenwood House

Efforts to restore historic buildings to their original splendour tell us as much about today’s tastes as they do about yesterday’s  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Jay-Z and Pablo P: Peter Aspden on Art Basel Miami Beach

The FT’s arts writer finds that, for all the acquisitive buzz around art fairs, they still richly cater for people’s inquisitive side too  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Sporting life: Peter Aspden on Russian Realism

An exhibition of Soviet-era sporting paintings shows how, even in a repressive political climate, artists still made work with real human insight  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Critical voice: Peter Aspden on Ai Weiwei

As Miami’s sparkling new Perez Art Museum hosts a big retrospective of the Chinese artist’s work, the FT’s arts writer reflects on culture’s role in challenging oppression  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Culture versus clutter: Peter Aspden on ‘Stuffocation’

In a persuasive new book, the trend forecaster James Wallman says that our appetite for material possessions is giving way to a hunger for experiences. How will that shift be reflected in the arts?  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

A Banksy in the boardroom: Peter Aspden on corporate collections

Businesses like buying contemporary art to show off their forward-thinking and investment savvy. Fair enough – but it still sits oddly with artists’ desire to provoke and subvert  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Wig interpretation: Peter Aspden on ‘American Hustle’

Christian Bale’s hairpiece in the Oscar-nominated movie caper epitomises the preposterousness of the 1970s – but the decade’s unabashed lack of polish looks increasingly appealing in our technology-dependent age  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Degree show: Peter Aspden on Derek Jarman

As King’s College, London, devotes an exhibition to its charismatic alumnus, the FT’s arts writer reflects on the artist and film-maker’s earliest inspirations  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Folk/rock: Peter Aspden on Pete Seeger

The death of the veteran folk singer prompted numerous tributes to his integrity and idealism. But it was his mythical spat with Bob Dylan that really defined his era’s cultural politics  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Social network of the damned: Peter Aspden on hell

Forget Sartre. The Royal Opera’s new ‘Don Giovanni’ suggests that, in a hyper-connected world, hell is the absence of other people  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Object lessons: Peter Aspden on memorabilia

A militarist matchbox, a spoof banknote, a Lennon album. . . the FT’s arts writer presents a very personal history of the past half-century in 10 objects  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Rubble cause: Peter Aspden on ‘Ruin Lust’

Tate Britain’s new show explores our fascination with ruins. But where yesterday’s aficionados looked to the remains of ancient civilisations, today’s ruinous visions are of the future  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Money trouble: Peter Aspden on arts funding

Art and Mammon are uneasy bedfellows: witness the recent furore over the Sydney Biennale. The solution, says the FT’s arts writer, is for institutions to embrace debates over their funding, not run from them  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Show, don’t tell: Peter Aspden on documentaries

Driven by ubiquitous video technology, a new wave of films – such as the award-winning ‘Gaza: Chronicles of a Conflict’ – favours rawness and immediacy over explanation and context  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Satire without a sting: Peter Aspden on ‘W1A’

The BBC’s self-parodying show goes too far – in the direction of complacency, complicity and all-round smugness. But comedy can be a remarkable force for exposing the flaws of the society from which it springs  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




pd

Just reach out: Peter Aspden on making culture accessible

A brush with institutional hauteur in Nice makes the FT’s arts writer long for the determinedly inclusive museums and galleries of the UK  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.