Archived – Surya Bowyer

The Instagram paradox: rituals falling at the hands of commodity

The dedicated photographer, once an animal of such prowess, has been ubiquitously usurped.

A bold and unapologetic production

Much to the delight of you and I, the Oxford theatre scene is full of first-evers. Last Hilary, the first-ever student production of Nick Payne’s Constellations was staged at the O’Reilly Theatre. In Michaelmas came the first production of Nick Dear’s Frankenstein since its original run at the National Theatre in 2011. Earlier this term,Continue reading “A bold and unapologetic production”

The birth of modernism: a journey in innovation

The Special Exhibition gallery in the Ashmolean is a significant space. Last year it housed over a hundred pieces by Andy Warhol, in an important exhibition that marked the first time many of the works had been exhibited in public. Yet, whilst significant, it is by no means an enormous space, especially if an exhibitionContinue reading “The birth of modernism: a journey in innovation”

Simply a mishandled film

Jackie largely concerns itself with the four days immediately after the JFK assassination. But the film’s structural conceit is that it frames these days through a meeting with journalist Theodore H. White (though he is never named in the film), who is writing a piece on the former First Lady for Life magazine. Scenes ofContinue reading “Simply a mishandled film”

A monumental work of stamina and control

The trailer for Silence portrays it as a different film to the one cinema-goers will encounter.

Review: Me & Mike

A lot could have gone very wrong with a project as ambitious and unusual as Me & Mike.

Preview: Me & Mike

There are, I think, two truisms that deserve to be noted before we start. The first is that new writing at Oxford is ridiculously hard to sell. No one’s heard of the play, so marketing requires extreme ingenuity for it to be considered anything close to a success. The crew are usually a group ofContinue reading “Preview: Me & Mike”

The Art of Our Time

In the Oberkassel area of Düsseldorf’s district 4, on the west side of the river Rhine, stands a rather remarkable building. It has white walls and a black roof, with numerous windows of various sizes – including a rather elegant loft extension. Indeed, if we ignore this extension and the roof terrace which sits aboveContinue reading “The Art of Our Time”