Mandaeism
The Last Gnostic Religion?
Punch Card Archive
Punched cards were once a ubiquitous part of accounting, data collection and early computing. At their peak of use, in the 1950s and 60s, hundreds of companies around the world…
The Religion of Pre-Islamic Arabia
Before Islam, Arabs worshipped many gods. Using newly deciphered ancient desert inscriptions, we explore the forgotten religious world of pre-Islamic Arabia: The goddess Allāt, sacrifice, pilgrimage, fate, magic, and the…
In Our Time: M.C. Escher
Misha Glenny and guests discuss the work of Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972), the graphic artist and printmaker best known for his impossible buildings, paradoxical perspectives, and repeating geometric patterns. Born…
Pure Land Buddhism
The Mahayana Multiverse
Craft in America: HOME
HOME visits craft artists whose environments are filled with meaning and metaphor
Allusionist 227. Draculae part 1: Enter the Castle
In this first instalment of a short series about three versions of Dracula, we familiarise ourselves with the plots of Dracula published by Bram Stoker in 1897; the Icelandic version…
Why These Christians Worship with Deadly Snakes
In parts of Appalachia, a few Pentecostal Christians handle live venomous snakes during worship, following a literal reading of Mark 16. This video explores the history, psychology, and faith behind…
Craft in America: Science
Nature, space, algorithms, and more serve as inspiration for artists connecting their work to the world around them, from the Santa Clara Pueblo in New Mexico to the computer science…
Lumière, Le Cinéma!
In one of those wonderful coincidences of history, “lumière,” the French word for “light,” was also the surname of brothers Auguste and Louis, whose brilliant invention, the cinematograph, helped to…