Culture

Our curated articles offering new takes on the big themes and questions in our culture. Plus reviews of books, film, media and experiences. Culture is one of four key themes covered by Seen & Unseen.

Review
  1. Art
  2. Culture
A painted altarpiece depicts a crucified Christ surrounded by followes, angels and soldiers.

Pesellino: making the vital visible

Andrew Davison
Great art doesn’t just delight, it educates. Andrew Davison recalls learning deep wisdom from a child as he reviews the Pesellino exhibition at the National Gallery, London.
5min read
Review
  1. Community
  2. Culture
An old man wearing a suit and tie sits in a TV audience as people stand around him.

One life's relevance to today

Krish Kandiah
One Life is a historic story retold for today audience, highlighting the response of individuals, families and leaders. Krish Kandiah ponders what it can teach us about sanctuary.
3min read
Explainer
  1. Culture
  2. Mental Health
A blurred multiple exposure shows a woman turning her head from side to side.

A history of anxiety

Henna Cundill
Anxiety is not a modern problem. From ancient social discomforts to contemporary societal shifts, Henna Cundill explore how we think, and worry, about it.
11min read
Podcast
  1. Books
  2. Culture
A medieval illustration of two sets of monks seated and facing each other. One gestures towards the sky

Seen & Unseen Aloud: the director's cut

Graham Tomlin
At the start of a new year, Bishop Graham Tomlin looks back over his favourite articles of 2023.
1min read
Review
  1. Books
  2. Culture
A close up of face, showing an eye, mostly obscured by a closely-held open book.

How children’s books challenge us to hope harder

Elizabeth Wainwright
Reading an award-winning children’s book challenges Elizabeth Wainwright much more than expected - to imagine and hope.
5min read
Podcast
  1. Culture
  2. S&U interviews
A man sits at a table speaking into a microphone but looks into the distance. Behind him, through the window and beyond a wall is Big Ben

My conversation with... Tom Holland

Belle Tindall
Noticing that Tom Holland is the star of The Rest Is Politics Christmas special, Belle Tindall is remembering her conversation with the historian earlier this year.
5min read
Review
  1. Art
  2. Climate
A bronze sculpture of a small boat and sea monster tossed in the waves.

Finding the human amid the wreckage of migration

Jonathan Evens
Personal objects recovered from ocean depths tell a story of modern and ancient migrations. Jonathan Evens reviews Shezad Dawood’s multimedia Leviathan exhibition at Salisbury Cathedral
9min read
Podcast
  1. Christmas culture
  2. Community
A field of ploughed red soil leads down to a hedged lane.

Seen & Unseen Aloud: the editor's cut

Nick Jones
Need a little Christmas day recuperation? Sit back, relax and listen to a little Christmas compilation picked by senior editor Nick Jones.
1min read
Article
  1. Christmas culture
  2. Culture
A man stands one side of a bank counter while others, on the other side, look hopefully at him.

It really is a wonderful life

Jon Kuhrt
Three reasons why everyone should watch It’s a Wonderful Life this Christmas.
4min read
Review
  1. Christmas culture
  2. Culture
Muppet characters dressed as Dickensian characters stand in a snowy street.

Five Christmas films to revel in

Yaroslav Walker
Haunting, salving, teary, side-splitting and glorious - our recommended festive films.
5min read
Article
  1. Christmas culture
  2. Culture
Dressed in camouflage uniforms and makeshift costumes, soldiers create a nativity scene

TV’s search for the perfect Christmas special

James Cary
Sitcoms rely on expectation and conventions. Here's the one rule that gets broken at Christmas time.
4min read
Podcast
  1. Attention
  2. Culture
People sitting around a campfire are silhouetted against the night.

Seen & Unseen Aloud: the narrator's cut

Nick Jones
The Seen & Unseen Aloud team has put together Christmas compilations from the past year. This week's is chosen by narrator Natalie Garrett.
1min read