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Arts & Ideas

Repetition

Arts & Ideas

BBC

Society & Culture

4.2598 Ratings

🗓️ 7 February 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Matthew Sweet with art critic TJ Clark, who has written about the importance of repeated viewing for appreciating a work of art; philosopher and film historian Lucy Bolton, who's seen a re-issue of Chantel Akerman's film Jeanne Dielman, which documents the crushing routine of a Belgian housewife; philosopher and theologian Clare Carlisle, who has written on the philosopher Kierkegaard, who discussed repetition as a major feature structuring human life, and historian and educationalist Anthony Seldon. Plus composer, dramatist and regular silent film accompanist Neil Brand will be at the piano.

TJ Clark's new collection of Essays is called Those Passions: On Art and Politics. The BFI is hosting a season of films by Chantal Akerman which runs for 2 months in London with further screenings at selected cinemas - and the 2k restoration of the film Jeanne Dielmann is in cinemas across the UK Anthony Seldon's books include Truss At 10: 49 Days That Changed Britain; Johnson at 10: The Inside Story and The Fourth Education Revolution Book by Anthony Seldon Clare Carlisle's book is called Philosopher of the Heart: The Restless Life of Soren Kierkegaard

Producer: Luke Mulhall

Transcript

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0:00.0

Can I just say?

0:01.5

You're about to listen to a BBC podcast.

0:04.0

It's such a wonderful listen.

0:05.6

So nice.

0:06.5

There are loads more like it on BBC sounds.

0:08.8

Different paces, different heights.

0:10.6

The roof is buckling.

0:11.9

Where you can also listen to live sports commentary.

0:14.2

It's right foot goes for goal.

0:16.7

And then enjoy even more podcasts full of analysis and reaction to the big stories.

0:21.7

The stat that is astonishing is they ended with the lowest amount of possession.

0:25.2

And she's had to live with that.

0:26.8

So if you love sport, a passion, it's almost like a religion.

0:29.7

Listen on BBC Sounds.

0:31.7

Sort of expecting that every week now.

0:34.7

Hello, you're listening to the Arts and Ideas podcast with me, Matthew Sweet.

0:38.9

Hello, do you love variety? Do you love plenitude? Do you want everything everywhere all at once?

0:46.3

Well, I'm sorry about that because this edition of free thinking is about doing the same thing over and over again.

0:52.8

Repetition. You hear that? That's the composer and dramatist Neil Brand,

0:58.8

embodying our theme with a bit of ostinato, a musical figure that's played over and over again.

1:05.2

Yes, just like that. Keep going, Neil. What else does the same thing over and over again?

1:10.3

Well, people often say that history repeats itself.

...

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