This coming Saturday, 3rd September, just a couple of days away, we’ll be at Kenwood for the inaugural FT Weekend Live Festival!
The timetable for the day looks great. There is so much to choose from. Here are my personal ***top 10 picks not to miss*** (too hard to put in order of preference!), whittled down from 44 talks, interviews and demonstrations! Hope to see you there (once you RSVP and get your ticket I will email you our Who London group’s meeting point and we can chat with a coffee before the festival really kicks off and FT Weekend’s Editor welcomes everyone).
1. Virtual reality: the future is here
Soon we will do everything virtually, from checking out holiday resorts in stunningly realistic detail to watching news reports almost indistinguishable from reality. Jonathan Margolis, Contributing Editor, How To Spend It, explains how VR is about to change our lives and has amazing HTC Vive headsets for you to try!
2. The making of the Royal Gardens at Highgrove
The Royal Gardens at Highgrove is making history in the 21st Century with an exquisite series of interlinked and organic gardens, which raises funds for the Prince of Wales’ Charitable Foundation. The talk by Highgrove’s Louise Swayne will examine 36 years of its development, from 1980 when HRH The Prince of Wales first bought the Highgrove Estate to the present day.
3. Art and new media
How does art translate to television and other broadcast media? Historian, Broadcaster and the FT’s Contributing Editor, Simon Schama, speaks with FT’s Arts Editor, Jan Dalley, on the challenges and discoveries.
4. The magic of mess: problem solving in our frenetic lives
Nobody wants to have to do good work with bad tools or awkward colleagues, but, Tim Harford, The Undercover Economist, argues that obstacles, interruptions and distractions often help us to solve problems in unexpected ways. Drawing on research from cognitive psychology, computer science and of course, rock and roll, Tim urges us to make the most of mess.
5. Heston’s evolution of taste
Heston Blumenthal OBE talks with Polly Russell, Author of the FT Weekend’s The History Cook Column, about how his culinary ideas as a chef have been shaped and changed by British culture, science and history.
6. Big bang two: what next for the City?
Patrick Jenkins, FT’s Financial Editor, discusses the shape of the City in a post-Brexit world with Brent Hoberman, Executive Chairman of Founders Factory Ltd, Iain Martin, Author of Crash Bang Wallop, Harriet Agnew, the FT’s City Correspondent and Philipp Hildebrand, Vice-Chairman, BlackRock.
7. Knives in the kitchen
Tim Hayward, Author of forthcoming Knife joins Tim Anderson, Masterchef Winner and Chef at the acclaimed Japanese restaurant Nanban, to talk about the culture, craft and cult of the cook’s knife. Learn how beautiful knives are made, how to choose, use and maintain your own, pick up recipes and red-hot culinary tips.
8. The meaning of the Trumpian world
Robert Shrimsley, Managing Editor of FT.com and FT Weekend Columnist, quizzes FT’s Martin Wolf CBE, Chief Economics Commentator, Merryn Somerset Webb, FT Money’s Columnist and Editor-in-Chief, MoneyWeek and Gideon Rachman, Chief Foreign Affairs Columnist, on Brexit, the US election and our frenetic and disrupted world.
9. The unexplored world
BBC Presenter and Author Simon Reeve speaks to FT’s Travel Editor, Tom Robbins, about travelling and filming in the furthest flung corners of the globe.
10. How to identify a lost masterpiece
Art Historian and Broadcaster of BBC1’s Fake or Fortune? and BBC4’s Britain’s Lost Masterpieces, Dr Bendor Grosvenor will give an insight into the fascinating world of art discovery, and show how anyone, if equipped with the right tools, can learn how to identify lost masterpieces.
There are also some book signings on the day if you’re after a souvenir or gift….
For more information on the event this Saturday, please see here. For the full guide you can find it here. Which talks inspire you?
Until the weekend….we’ll admire the above photo of the diverse view of the City of London from Hampstead Heath nearby!!
Best,
Alex
SHARE THIS POST
