The Strand - Friday 31st July 2009

Available for over a year

The best of the world's arts, film, music, literature and music brought to you every day. Presented by Harriett Gilbert. Ron Arad Israeli-born Ron Arad is one of the most influential designers of the last 30 years. His instantly recognisable curvy "book worm" shelves and the Swarkowski crystal chandeliers that respond to text messages are just some of his designs which are a combination of playful forms and experiments with current technologies. As a retrospective of his work opens at New York's MoMA, Ron Arad discusses the way he works and where his ideas come from. The Life of Agnes Varda We review The Beaches of Agnes, a new documentary from and about the legendary French director Agnes Varda. The 81 year-old is a filmmaker, photographer and video artist and this film charts half a century of cinema through the prism of her own life including adventures in Hollywood in the 1960s and a prolific and influential career in France. Cameroon Writing We examine the state of anglophone literature in Cameroon today and asks how different it is from the francophone literature of the country. Womad Ruth Barnes talks to Christopher Blenkinsop founder of German band 17 Hippies. Based in Berlin the group use a variety of acoustic instruments in their music which draws on European folk melodies and rhythms.