NOVA: Building the Great Cathedrals

NOVA’s Building the Great Cathedrals is now available to watch on the PBS website.

Take a dazzling architectural journey inside those majestic marvels of Gothic architecture, the great cathedrals of Chartres, Beauvais and other European cities. Carved from 100 million pounds of stone, some cathedrals now teeter on the brink of catastrophic collapse. To save them, a team of engineers, architects, art historians, and computer scientists searches the naves, bays, and bell-towers for clues.

 

China’s Terracotta Warriors on PBS

This week PBS aired a new episode of their television program Secrets of the Dead in which producer Steve Talley explores the life-sized terracotta warriors of China:

This clay army of 8,000 including infantry, archers, generals and cavalry was discovered by archaeologists in 1974 after farmers digging a well near the Chinese city of Xian unearthed pieces of clay sculpted in human form.

An amazing archaeological find, the terracotta warriors date back more than two thousand years. But what was the purpose of this army of clay soldiers? Who ordered its construction? How were they created? Secrets of the Dead investigates the story behind China’s Terracotta Warriors and documents their return to former glory for the first time.

The episode is now available online.

PBS Arts Website

PBS recently introduced a beta version of its new arts website which covers theater, dance, visual art, film and music. Four virtual exhibitions are among the site’s initial offerings; one of these, called Ruin & Revival, explores creativity in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. It includes works from the series “Storm Cycle” by artist Thomas Mann.

Another area of the website encourages viewers to contribute digital photographs of artwork to the PBS Arts Flickr group and tag works with keywords, grouping them into collaborative virtual exhibitions.

Independent Lens: Between the Folds

A new film airing on PBS’ Independent Lens called Between the Folds chronicles the lives of ten modern paper folders. As the PBS website describes: “Through origami, these offbeat and provocative minds are reshaping ideas of creativity and revealing the relationship between art and science.” On this site, you can also test your origami knowledge by matching folding patterns with finished products, or even printing out patterns to try yourself. Explore the site further to learn about the artists and discover facts about the history of origami.