Diary for 5th July - 11th July 2007

THURSDAY 5TH JULY - A dose of anthropology a day keeps the doctor away

Today I’m going to the hugely varied exhibition – Medicine Man - that’s just opened in Euston. It is part of The Wellcome Collection - a massive assortment of the artefacts gathered by Henry Wellcome over his lifetime. They range from diagnostic dolls to Japanese sex aids, and from Napoleon's toothbrush to George III's hair! The idea of the displays is to show the different ways the same objects are used across cultures, as well to make you rethink our own accepted understandings of health and the body. The exhibition is open every day until 18.00 except Monday and entry is FREE.





FRIDAY 6TH JULY - Love is in the air

Tonight I'm going to try something a little different, and attend one of Allure Seminars Flirting & Walking Tours - which promise the chance to spend two hours sampling London's flirting 'hotspots'. I'm not sure quite what to expect, but the tour leader, Jean Smith, says she runs the courses from the perspective of a cultural anthropologist, and is fascinated by the different ways people communicate their love. The tour takes place from 18.45, meeting just inside the foyer of the National Portrait Gallery. It costs £20 and you can book online - places are limited to ensure limited to ensure your beating heart gets enough attention. You can also view a short introductory film here.



SATURDAY 7TH JULY - Filming Brick Lane

On Saturday the plan is to check out a photography and video installation currently being held at The Atrium Café, in the Social Sciences Building at City University in London. It is part of the Celebrating Enterprise project being put on to promote and study business amongst ethnic communist in London. Incorporated in the exhibition is Ricardo Leizaola’s observational documentary filming of the Carnaval del Pueblo and Brick Lane Festivals. Ricardo has just completed his PhD on 'folkbotanical' knowledge in Venezuela and also teaches technical skills to budding anthropological film-makers on the MA in Visual Anthropology at Goldsmiths University. It is open daily and entry is FREE.

SUNDAY 8TH JULY - Morris dancing with a stiff upper lip

Come Sunday, I hope to spend several hours at the British Film Institute accessing their new Mediatheque resource, where you can delve into the labyrinth of films and television programmes about anything and everything that’s just been opened. The films can be divided into categories, so for example if you’re interested in what it means to be British there is a collection of programmes that explore cultural stereotypes such as the ‘stiff upper lip’ or ‘saucy seaside postcard humour’. The Mediatheque is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 11.00 to 20.00 and it’s all FREE.

MONDAY 9TH JULY - Different stories to tell at the London Anthropology Day

Today is the long-awaited London Anthropology Day at the British Museum which offers the opportunity for A-Level students from across the country to spend a day learning about the enormous variety on offer on anthropology degree courses. Places have all been taken up for this year’s event, but there’s plenty of information on the website and you can always think about attending future university open days which I’ll try to mention on the blog, or think about getting in touch with Gem Jones, education officer at the RAI on education@rai.org.uk if you have any questions.


Then tonight is another Pocketvisions screening at the Roxy Bar and Screen. ‘Un’altra storia’, or ‘A Different Story’, follows the 2006 election campaigns of two candidates wanting to become governor of Sicily. One, Rita Borsellino, is a long-time anti-mafia activist who stood against Salvatore ‘Toto’ Cuffaro – then the governor of the island. The film headlined the first ever London International Documentary Festival (LIDF) at the British Museum last March and does what documentary film, and anthropology, does best – uses personal stories to illustrate larger themes such as power and government.


TUESDAY 10TH JULY - Land and human rights in South Africa

On Tuesday I’m going to tune into last week’s episode of Thinking Allowed on Radio 4. The topic up for discussion was land reform in South Africa, and the success the post-apartheid ANC government have had in redistributing land to the rural, black poor. Anthropologist Dr Deborah James from LSE has recently published a book - Gaining Ground?: ‘Rights’ and ‘property’ in South African Land Reform - on the subject, and the legal battles between existing farmers and new claimants that have meant not much land reform has actually occurred. It’s an interesting example of how ethnographic work can reveal the gaps behind political rhetoric


WEDNESDAY 11TH JULY - Fascinating film screening in the Houses of Parliament on development issues in India - book your free place now!

Next week on the 16th July, there is a screening of the film ‘Back to the Village’ made with eminent anthropologist Dr Scarlett Epstein. I’m mentioning it today because it’s being shown at Portcullis Houses in the Houses of Parliament and for security reasons it’s necessary to get in touch with the organiser as soon as possible if you would like to attend. The film is about the massive migration in South India from rural to urban areas, followed by a discussion on the issues raised. You can read the full synopsis as a Google Document here. The event will be chaired by Mark Goldring, Chief Executive of VSO (Voluntary Services Overseas). Dr Epstein has spent her life working in applied anthropology, offering advice to many development organisations worldwide. You can find out more about her here, and her autobiography, Swimming Upstream, is also well worth a read. To enquire about attending, you need to email Dr Epstein at scarlett@epstein.net before the 12th July,detailing your interest in the event, which starts at 17.00pm on the 16th July.

Diary for 28th June - 4th July 2007

THURSDAY 28TH JUNE - Gardening, Haiti and anthropology on TV!

Today I'm heading down to sunny Brighton for the Mass Observation event I mentioned last week, - Ordinary Lives, Everyday Speakers. Archive staff and academics will be talking about the different ways in which we narrate our lives to each other, drawing on some of the more unusual takes on everyday happenings that they have read over the years. The event is part of the archive's 70th birthday celebrations and runs from 15.30 until 19.00 in the Jubilee Library in Brighton. Topics being discussed range from stories about England's status as a 'nation of gardeners' to the importance of wedding gifts. Entrance is free and includes refreshments, but places are limited so you need to RSVP to Dr Amanda Claremont at a.l.claremont@brighton.ac.uk or on 01273 642288 to confirm you will be going.



Alternatively on Thursday, there is a talk about how anthropology can help play a role in reducing malnutrition in Haiti. It should also be a useful insight into how anthropology can have an impact in the 'real world' and the sorts of careers it can lead into. The talk is at 17.15 in the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and entrance is free. For more information, contact Jenny Stanley on 020 7958 8140 or jenny.stanley@lshtm.ac.uk. Medical anthropologists study the cross-cultural causes and consequences of illness and disease, and you can study it as part of an anthropology undergraduate degree, or even for your entire degree at the University of Kent.



Also, don't forget that the RAI Film Festival continues in Manchester, and you can still buy day passes on the door. For me, the highlight of Thursday is a fascinating free public debate in the evening about anthropology on television. It's called "Anthropology on Television - Education or Entertainment?" and is taking place from 7-9pm in the Cosmo Rodewald Theatre. The debate is open to everyone (you don't have to be registered for the festival to go). Panelists include professors of anthropology plus Sam Organ, the executive producer of the BBC Tribe series and Will Anderson, Director and Series Producer of the new Reverse Anthropology series. The debate will be chaired by newsreader Anna Ford, who once studied anthropology at Manchester. Full details are available here.



FRIDAY 29TH JUNE - Is brown really the new black?

Today I'm going to get dressed up and attend the start of a two-day conference run by the History of Dress Association, called Black and White. A series of academics and experts will be giving talks on the ways in which black and white clothing have been worn over history and what that says about different cultures and societies - from Bedouin nomads' 'cool' black robes to Queen Elisabeth I's extensive white wardrobe. The event takes place at the Courtauld Institute of Art and entrance costs £25 for the whole conference or £15 for the day. You need to download and send off the booking form if you want to attend.


The highlight of the RAI Film Festival for today is probably the award-winning 37 Uses for a Dead Sheep which is screening at 19.00 and documents the exile of the Kirghiz tribe in Eastern Turkey - it was made in close collaboration with the Kirghiz themselves who carefully re-enact events from their past.





SATURDAY 30TH JUNE - Last day of RAI Film Festival!

On Saturday I'm off to the day of special screenings of films from China at the RAI Film Festival. China Day is a showcase of 12 films chosen to represent the cultural diversity of China, ranging from remote rural locations to life in the ultra-modernised cities. The screenings run from 9.00 to 18.00 and entrance is only £5 - you can pay at the door. If you fancy discussing what you have seen over a meal, then there is a Chinese 'banquet' in the evening at the Tai Pen restaurant. The prize-winners from the festival will also be announced at this banquet which costs £17.



Today is also the start of the 'Beyond Text' conference, running in association with the Film Festival. I may try and drop in on a couple of the sessions today, which are looking at the ways in which anthropologists can use other ways of expressing themselves other than writing, for example photography, film or performance. The conference runs until the 2nd July and although places have all been taken at the moment, you can place yourself on the reserve list by emailing claudia.natteri@manchester.ac.uk




SUNDAY 1ST JULY - Dancing and entrancing at the Horniman

The Horniman Museum in South London is one of my favourite museums to visit. There's no better place to spend a Sunday than wandering around its Centenary Gallery, which has a massive range of object from almost everywhere I can think of, and plenty I've never heard of before. The collection was originally developed by Frederick Horniman who collected objects through auctions and has been added to by many anthropologists over the years. It includes items such as Buddhas from Burma and Ogoni elephant masks from Nigeria (see left).

Also on Sunday at the Horniman is a Nziga Dance Ensemble Concert, featuring dance performances from Africa and the Caribbean. It is part of a series of dance events at the Horniman over the summer, using performances to understand how dance represented a way for slaves to maintain their spiritual and social traditions. The dance ensemble will be in the garden from 15.00 and like the rest of the museum, entrance is FREE.

And if you still can't get enough of the Film Festival, there's a spin-off event today linked to the conference and an exhibition, Castaways, that I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. Castaways is an experimental mixed media exhibition at the Whitworth Museum and today there's a lunchtime discussion at 13.00 between the artists involved and 'acoustic anthropologist' Steven Feld.

MONDAY 2ND JULY - Monks on Merseyside

On Monday I want to visit the World Museum in Liverpool for a fascinating day of events looking at The Mandala and the lives of the Monks . Mandalas are the symbolic geometric designs used by monks to help them meditate and contemplate the structure of the universe. At 10.15, members from the TashiLhumpo Monastery in Tibet (click here to find out more) will be creating a sand mandala, together with a ritual of public chanting and dedication. There is then a talk at 14.00 explaining the importance of mandalas in their worship. Entrance to the museum is FREE.





TUESDAY 3RD JULY - Learning about the Jarawa

On Tuesday I'm going to attend the weekly Vigil for the Jarawa that is organised by Survival International, a charity that aims to help tribal peoples defend their lives and land. The Jarawa live on the Andaman Islands in the Indian Ocean and are at risk of disease because of poachers coming onto their land. The aim of the vigil is to encourage the Indian Government to do more to enforce laws that are supposed to protect the Jarawa from exploitation. Several of Survival International's staff members trained as anthropologists and they have recently been involved in a high-profile campaign to stop tribal peoples being labelled as 'primitive'. The vigil lasts from 12.30 until 14.00 every Tuesday outside the Indian High Commission in Central London.



WEDNESDAY 4TH JULY - Living and Dying

The Living and Dying exhibition at the British Museum in London is a really fascinating display of the different cultural approaches people take across the world to health and well-being. It also includes objects used to try and ward off danger or illness, and looks at the relationships we form with each other and the world around us to achieve this. On Wednesday, I am going along to a talk by the curator of the display and British Museum anthropologist, Lissant Bolton, will be giving an introductory tour of the gallery at 13.15. The tour is FREE - all you need to do is turn up at Gallery 24 at the right time!



Also starting today is the New Crowned Hope festival at the Barbican in London, which runs until 12th August 2007. It promises artists from "every nation on earth" and takes its inspiration from Mozart in trying to exhibit new forms of expression, and individuals who are challenging cultural stereotypes in new ways. Look out for more on the blog in coming weeks!

Diary for the 21st - 27th June 2007

THURSDAY 21ST JUNE - Observing Britain

Today I'm going to apply to become a writer for Mass Observation. It's an organisation that was set up in 1937 by three men who wanted to create an 'anthropology of ourselves'. Mass Observation recruits volunteer observers from all over the country to submit their ideas on two or three subjects a year. You can write as much or as little as you like, and there is absolutely no pressure to stay involved. Recent projects have included writing about the smoking ban and the London bombings last year - you can find out more information here.

I want to get my application off in time for an event that Mass Observation are holding in Brighton on 28th June (more details in next week's blog) to celebrate the project's 70th anniversary. If you would like to attend it's best to get in touch with the organiser, Dr Amanda Claremont, now on a.l.claremont@brighton.ac.uk or 01273 642288

FRIDAY 22ND JUNE - Anthropology in Wales

There's a fantastic-looking event happening today at the University of Wales in Lampeter. The Wales Anthropology Day is jam-packed with workshops, films and information about studying anthropology at university. There are talks on a huge range of topics that anthropologists have studied - from cars to shamanism to bling culture. There's also a special session by staff from the BBC TV series Tribe and friend of Anthropologist about Town, Gem Jones, the education officer at the Royal Anthropological Institute. The day lasts from 9.30 to 16.30 and you can register here - if you're interested in studying anthropology in Wales then it looks like an event not to be missed.

On Friday you can also go to the opening of a new exhibition at The Sesame Gallery in London. Past and Present is an exhibition that explores our relationship with the past and its stories. One of the artists featured is Guy Barton, whose paintings are reinterpretations of old anthropological photographs from colonial days. The exhibition runs until the 13th July but you can get yourself invited to the private view tonight, starting at 18.30, by emailing the organisers at info@sesameart.com

SATURDAY 23RD JUNE - From Tibet to the Arctic

On Saturday afternoon, there's a couple of things going on. There a film made by one of the most influential and interesting documentary makers alive today, Werner Herzog. He is renowned for his unusual and intense approach to his subjects - and the level to which he immerses himself in his subject is often compared to the work carried out by anthropologists.

Wheel of Time is about the largest Buddhist ritual to promote peace and tolerance, and includes an interview with the Dalai Lama as well as footage of previously unseen rituals. Ritual is especially important to anthropologists because it is a form of symbolic behaviour that can help us to understand wider society. The film is showing as part of 'The Worlds of Werner Herzog' and is on at 15.30 at the ICA in London. Tickets cost £8 and if you miss the film today it's screening again on the 26th.


Also on Saturday is the fourth talk in the Freeze Frame series that I mentioned a few weeks ago, all about The Cape Farewell Project. There will be a panel of experts, including film-maker and anthropologist Hugh Brody discussing Art, The Arctic & Climate Change - an project about how humans have contributed towards the world's environmental problems. Members of the project - ranging from artists to scientists - have traveled several times to the Arctic to try and express how we can live in a greater harmony with the planet. The talk is in the National Maritime Museum, starts at 15.15 and tickets are £7.50.



SUNDAY 24TH JUNE - The anthropology of corridors!

Today I want to listen again to Radio 4's Thinking Allowed programme from last week. It featured Rachel Hurdley, who has just finished doing some unusual ethnographic research into corridors and the how the meetings and relationships that occur in that space can be important in the lives of the people working there. She has previously done similar work on mantelpieces, and her research is a good example of how anthropologists can examine 'culture' in the most unlikely places. The programme also reviewed the life and times of Margaret Mead and Mary Douglas with anthropologist Adam Kuper from Brunel University. You can listen to the show here.


MONDAY 25TH JUNE - Robin Hood or con man?

This evening is the latest installment in the Pocketvisions season of the best films from the London International Documentary Festival. This week Con Man Confidential will be screening - it is a film about the social and cultural factors that lead people to become con artists and how they feel about their lives. The film is showing at the Roxy Bar & Screen in Borough at 20.00 and entrance is FREE.


TUESDAY 26TH JUNE - Why did the chicken cross the road?

Tonight I'm going to watch the third in the 4 part series of Lenny's Britain. Lenny Henry has teamed up with an anthropologist, Dr Marie Gillespie, at the Open University to investigate the variety in sense of humour around Britain and what that says about us as people. Dr Gillespie spent 6 months researching what jokes can tell us about our society and what we think about the world, using a traveling joke booth.

This week's episode is about humour on holiday and looks at whether the slap-and-tickle stereotype of British humour is justified. Based in Blackpool, Lenny talks to a variety of people from chambermaids, to drag queens and hen nights to investigate how important humour is to our leisure time. stress or long working hours in jobs ranging from a call centre to being a parking attendant. The programme is on BBC1 at 21.00 and you can also read an interesting article on the research here.


WEDNESDAY 27TH JUNE - Film festival begins!

The long-awaited 10th International Festival of Ethnographic Film starts today with a fascinating range of films from all over the world. On Wednesday there's a selection of entries to the student film prize being shown. I particularly want to see Ordinary Lives at 10.00 about a 10 person family living in a Mumbai slums and then, at 14.00, Into the Field about the daily life of a community of Romanian nuns.

In the evening, there's the official launch of the festival followed by the 2007 Forman lecture, which always provides an interesting point of view on the challenges of film-making. This year the director of The Last King of Scotland, Kevin Macdonald, is speaking about his career in documentary making. It's still not too late to get tickets for the festival, so make sure you don't miss out and register here.

Diary for the 14th - 20th June 2007

THURSDAY 14TH JUNE - Imagining America

On Thursday I'm going to another event at the British Museum linked to the 'A New World: England's first View of America' exhibition. It's a three day conference called 'European Vision: American Voices', examining the work of the artists on show and how their first pictures of America have influenced how we see the country today.

As usual, there will be an impressive panel of experts at the conference, including anthropologists. They will be looking at how representations from a Native American point of view are often missing in similar exhibitions. The event runs from Thursday until Saturday and entrance is FREE for the first 50 students that email the organiser at ukhuhlemann@thebritishmuseum.ac.uk



If that's got you thinking about living in America, it's worth knowing that some anthropology degrees offer exchange programmes with American universities. Oxford Brookes is just one uni that thinks anthropology students may benefit from time spent living and studying in another culture.

On the same day there's also a free anthropology talk called 'Images of the ancestors: Aesthetics and Moai being-in-the-world' at the British Museum Centre for Anthropology Seminar. Moai is the name for the giant statues carved from volcanic ash that are found dotted around Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean. The talk starts at 10.00 and you can find out more details by emailing anthropology@thebritishmuseum.ac.uk






FRIDAY 15TH JUNE - Women who become men

Today I'm going to listen again to anthropologist Antonia Young's appearance on Radio 4's Women's Hour last week. She was discussing her new book, 'Women who become Men' about women in the mountains of Northern Albania who decide to become 'honorary' men. Doing so requires a vow of celibacy and gives them greater respect within both their community and family. On the other hand, it also means they are expected to resolve blood feuds by whatever, often armed, means are necessary.
The book is a really interesting study of how issues like gender and concepts of honour can cut across all other aspects of society.


SATURDAY 16TH JUNE - Art & anthropology

On Saturday I'm going to the new Castaways exhibition at the Whitworth Gallery in Manchester. The exhibition is a multi-media show of 'sculptural paintings' made from environmental material from the coast of Ghana together with a film & audioscape by anthropologist Andrew Feld, from the University of New Mexico.

Sounds intriguing, but I'm a little unclear of what it's all about at the moment. Luckily, at 2pm there's an interactive guided tour by Dr Rupert Cox (brother of film director Phil featured last week) who runs the Visual Anthropology department at the Granada Centre for Visual Anthropology in Manchester. The talk is free and you can also see the exhibition at the RAI film festival in coming weeks.


SUNDAY 17TH JUNE - Spotting statues

The plan for Sunday is to check out Blind Light - Anthony Gormley's new exhibition based in the Hayward Gallery, and featuring a range of his iconic sculptures. Perhaps the most attention-grabbing of these is Event Horizon, a series of 31 life-size moulds of Gormley himself, that he has located around London, from rooftops to ground level. Antony Gormley studied anthropology at university and has often claimed that the 'anthropological' is central to his work. You can read an article here by another famous anthropologist, Hugh Brody, about the sense of 'belonging' and community he sees in Gormley's latest exhibition. The exhibition runs until mid-August and tickets are £8 (half-price concessions) for an hour inside the gallery - booking ahead is highly recommended.


MONDAY 18TH JUNE - Refugees planting roots

This week is Refugee Week and there are cultural, artistic and educational events being held all over the UK to celebrate the place of refugees to UK society, and encourage greater understanding between communities - something anthropology often ends up doing too! Refugees are studied by anthropologists because they are frequently at the margins of mainstream society and can help us understand where cultural differences arise.



A couple of events especially caught my eye. Firstly, there's an exhibition running at the St Mungo Museum of Life & Art in Glasgow called 'A Glasgow Story'. It's the result of a collaboration between photographer Roddy Mackay and Glasgow's large African & Caribbean population and portrays aspects of African life and culture in the city. It runs on until the end of July and entrance is FREE.

Secondly, this week sees the release of a film called Grow Your Own. Based on a true story, it is about a group of asylum seekers in Liverpool who are given plots on an allotment in the midst of members of the local community. The film examines the interaction between this diverse group of people and how they come to terms with their different cultural backgrounds. Grow Your Own is showing in cinemas nationwide.

Also today, for those of you feeling like a bit of exercise, anthropologist Lionel Sims from the University of East London will be hosting a guided tour of the Avebury monuments in Wiltshire. Avebury is the site of several stone circles and a large henge and its historical purpose is still not fully understood. Dr Sims has been studying henges for most of his academic career and recently produced a documentary for Channel 5 on Stonehenge. If you would like to attend - be warned the walk is a hefty 6 hours long! - then meet at East Kennet village at 11am. The walk is part of the Radical Anthropology Group's annual trip to Avebury. RAG is a weekly evening class in anthropology open to everyone. Check out the link for more details.


TUESDAY 19TH JUNE - Feeling peckish?

There's a really different and interesting series of talks today in Cambridge. Given by experts from a variety of subjects, they are centred around 'Foodomics' - the study of what we eat and why. Dr Manpreet Janeja, from the Department of Social Anthropology, is giving a short talk - 'What did you eat today?' on the Culture of food choices at 11.50 in the Centre for Mathematical Sciences.

I'll look forward to understanding the reasons behind the sandwich I decide to buy for lunch (strictly no sweetcorn) after the talk, and may head down to the CUP bookshop to see if they've got any books on the anthropology of food. You can also study the anthropology of food at a postgraduate level at SOAS - see here for more tasty details.


WEDNESDAY 20TH JUNE - Peering at the Pitt-Rivers Museum

Tonight I want to go to the Annual General Meeting at the Pitt-Rivers Museum in Oxford. If that sounds a bit stuffy, then rest assured the main reason I'll be there is for the lecture that follows the meeting entitled 'Seeking knowledge, seeking life: PRM collections and First Nations communities in Canada'. It will be given by Dr Laura Peers who regularly gives fascinating talks about the representation of indigenous North Americans in museums. Yow can read an article by Dr Peers on one of the museum's collections (also well worth a look) here. The meeting and talk take place at 18.15 in the museum's extension, with refreshments available from 17.45.

Diary for 7th June to 13th June 2007

THURSDAY 7TH JUNE - Pots, pop & philosophy from across the pond

Tonight I'm going to a talk down at the British Museum. A panel of experts including Simon Schama will be discussing how the British have represented America over the last few hundred years and the cultural differences that are portrayed in everything from pop culture to political philosophy. The session - 'America: The View from here' starts at 18.30 in the BP lecture theatre and entry is £5.

If you are particularly interested in the Media, several universities offer specialised degrees in Anthropology and Media. Check out Goldsmiths (Anthropology and Media), Sussex (Anthropology and Media Studies) as well as joint media and anthropology courses at Oxford Brookes, Lampeter, and Roehampton.

Also on this evening is a talk by anthropologist and potter Dr Natalie Tobert. Dr Tobert spent two years observing the potters of Darfur, Sudan, and their creative techniques. She will be recounting her experiences from 19.00 onwards in the Austen Building at Harrow College. It's advisable to phone ahead first on 0208 909 6185 if you're thinking of going.






FRIDAY 8TH JUNE - Getting into the Native Spirit

There's a feast of interesting documentaries showing today at Riverside Studios as past of the Native Spirit film festival I mentioned last week. Starting at 11am, I'm going to watch some more fantastic, but rarely seen, films about the indigenous peoples of North, South and Central America.

Highlights on Friday include the 13.00 screening of 'ABA' about the gathering of 2000 indigenous peoples at the place where the Portuguese colonisers first arrived in Brazil and an evening showing of 'We Are The Indians' about the daily lives of Argentina's remaining Guarani Indians.




Both films will be followed by a Q and A session with the directors. Phil Cox, director of We are the Indians, studied Visual Anthropology in Manchester's Granada Centre for Visual Anthropology before entering into a career in film-making. Tickets are £6.50 for each film.





SATURDAY 9TH JUNE - Imagining the English

On Saturday I plan to spend the day ambling around a new exhibition on at the Tate Britain. How We Are is the first major exhibition of photography they've ever held and images from the entire historical spectrum of British photography are on show from the 1830s to the present day. It's particularly worth looking out for some early anthropological shots in room 1. I'll also be taking my digital camera along with me - if I get a few pictures on the journey to the Tate there's the opportunity to join the exhibition by uploading photos to Flickr in How We Are Now.

Tate Britain is open from 10.00 until 17.40, and entrance to How We Are is £7.50. You can read some thoughts on the exhibition here - especially interesting is Homer Sykes' article on capturing British customs on camera.

SUNDAY 10TH JUNE - Groundbreaking film from Australia

On the back of the inaugural Native Spirit film festival I'm really enthused about the future of indigenous film, and so today I'm off to see Ten Canoes. This is a ground-breaking cinematic production - it's the first ever Australian film made originally entirely in indigenous languages and starring only Aborigine actors. Set in pre-contact times, it tells the tale of ten men preparing their canoes for the annual hunt. The elder, Minygulu, discovers that one of the younger men has designs on his third wife. To restore village order, the old man offers the group a 'morality tale' about a similar situation involving their ancestors many generations before. One of the Associate Producers for the film was an anthropologist, and much of the cinematography was inspired by the photography of early anthropologist Donald Thomson.

The film uses colour film for the distant past, underlining the importance of oral history to the Aborigines, and black and white for the near past, with the footage closely based on Thomson's images from the 1930s. It is showing in London at the Curzon Renoir, the Odeon Covent Garden and the Barbican. In Manchester on Sunday, the Cornerhouse is hosting a special evening screening of the film followed by a 'making of' documentary at 18.10. You can also listen to an interview with the film's director on Radio 3's Night Waves programme here.




MONDAY 11TH JUNE - More great films in your pocket

There are two highly-recommended films showing tonight as part of Pocketvisions' summer season of the best films from its' London Documentary film festival earlier this year.

The films start at 20.00 at theRoxy Bar & Screen in Borough, London. The Everyday Life of Roma Children from Block 71 is a portrait of a Roma family living in a Belgrade skyscraper and presents an alternative and more intimate understanding of Roma life than is often portrayed. It is followed by a short film about another group of marginalised people; The Seeds gives an insight into the lives of a family living in the Siberian mountains and their struggle to get by.


TUESDAY 12TH JUNE - What a load of rubbish...

Today I'm heading down to sunny Cornwall to visit an exhibition running at the Eden Project. 'kNOw trash' is a collection of objects from all parts of the globe - often where money and resources are in short supply - that illuminates the creative ways people recycle waste materials. It's on show in The Core education building throughout the summer - entrance to the whole of the Eden Project site is £14 for adults.





Anthropologists are very interested in what the study of objects can tell us about people. There is even an anthropology of rubbish! In fact, students in an anthropology class at the University of Arizona inn 1971 kick started the Garbage Project (still going on today) which uses rubbish and landfill sites to find out about American lifestyles. Proffessor of Amthropology, William Rathje, together with Cullen Murphy have written a fascinating book called "Rubbish! : the archaelogy of Garbage" about the project. You can also read an article of the anthropology of Polish Christmas rubbish on the website www.anthropologymatters.com


(The picture is of Professor William Rathje doing some research!)








WEDNESDAY 13TH JUNE - Recording identity through photography

Today I'm heading down to a favourite place of mine - The Horniman Museum for some more fascinating photography. One of their exhibitions at present is a photographic documentation of Creole architecture - it's an interesting example of an attempt to 'record' social artefacts that are fast disappearing. The photos are from Freetown, taken by Sierra Leonians, and represent the first archival project of its kind in 21st century Sierra Leone - an effort to recognise the importance of cultural heritage for future identity. The exhibition runs until 1st July and is open from 10.30 to 17.30.