Vice-Chancellor of The Open University, Peter Horrocks, welcomes the series, saying:<\/p>\n
\u201cIts broad-ranging brushstrokes paint a picture that captures the values of humanity and globalism that typify the OU and the BBC. \u00a0It is a timely and significant collaboration between these historic partners.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s already dubbed as one of the most exciting and talked-about TV art series in many years and is presented by Mary Beard, David Olusoga and Simon Schama.<\/p>\n
Civilisations explores dazzling works of art and architecture<\/strong><\/h2>\nProfessor Gill Perry<\/a> is one of the OU team that has been working on the co-production, and said:<\/p>\n\u201cMany viewers will remember Kenneth Clark\u2019s 13 part Civilisation<\/em>, broadcast for the first time in 1969, which played such an important role in making the history of European art vivid and accessible to a large audience across the world. In contrast, this series invites the viewer to look beyond Europe.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/simon_monument-300x169.jpg\")
\u201cThe presenters travel around the globe and look up close at dazzling works of art and architecture, from the Taj Mahal, Angkor Wat, the Benin Bronzes, photographs of the American West to Dutch paintings in the Rijksmuseum, explaining what images can tell us about the \u2018big questions\u2019 of human civilisations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe presenters explore the important role of art and the creative imagination in our understanding of the slippery word \u2018civilisation\u2019. Each episode is focused on a universal theme that engages us all such as the human body, landscape, religion, colour, and contact between cultures.<\/p>\n
Images play an important part in human life<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe visual footage is sensational, with a particularly memorable scene as Mary Beard travels to Seville in Spain to follow the procession of the Virgin of Macarena in Holy Week.<\/p>\n
Dr Kathleen Christian<\/a>, another member of the OU team, continued:<\/p>\n\u201cSome wonderful footage captures the drama and emotion of the event; watching the tears on faces in the crowd you understand the fundamental social and spiritual importance images have always had in human life.\u201d<\/p>\n
There is a real sense of the potential impact of visual culture, and an ambitious reach in this series.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Civilisations begins with the first episode, The Second Moment of Creation<\/em> on Thursday March 1 looking at the formative role art and the creative imagination have played in the forging of humanity itself.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Free poster offer from The Open University<\/strong><\/h2>\nTo accompany the Civilisations <\/em>series, The Open University has also produced a stunning poster representing many of the objects from around the world that are featured in the programmes. To order your free poster go to http:\/\/www.open.edu\/openlearn\/civilisations#order-your-free-poster<\/a><\/p>\nNew Open University courses link to this series<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe Open University has been working with the BBC to produce a vivid new series that relates directly to our new and developing Art History Curriculum<\/a>, its digital platforms and outreach projects.<\/p>\nThe exciting new third level art history course launched this year – Art and its Global Histories<\/em><\/a> – explores in depth many of the issues explored in this TV series. It covers art from the early modern period to the present from a global perspective, looking at many of those cultural encounters featured in the BBC series.<\/p>\nOther online assets include films made by OU academics that provide detailed analysis of many of the objects featured in this BBC series, such as the Openlearn resource Travelling Objects <\/em><\/a>\u00a0and our Open Arts Objects<\/em> <\/a>archive.<\/p>\nJoin in the discussion<\/strong><\/h2>\nCivilisations begins with the first episode, The Second Moment of Creation<\/em> on Thursday March 1 at 9pm on BBC2, looking at the formative role art and the creative imagination have played in the forging of humanity itself.\u00a0 Join the debate afterwards at our online discussion hub, where Open University academics will be posting questions and responding to your questions and thoughts.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany viewers will remember Kenneth Clark\u2019s 13 part Civilisation<\/em>, broadcast for the first time in 1969, which played such an important role in making the history of European art vivid and accessible to a large audience across the world. In contrast, this series invites the viewer to look beyond Europe.<\/p>\n \u201cThe presenters explore the important role of art and the creative imagination in our understanding of the slippery word \u2018civilisation\u2019. Each episode is focused on a universal theme that engages us all such as the human body, landscape, religion, colour, and contact between cultures.<\/p>\n The visual footage is sensational, with a particularly memorable scene as Mary Beard travels to Seville in Spain to follow the procession of the Virgin of Macarena in Holy Week.<\/p>\n Dr Kathleen Christian<\/a>, another member of the OU team, continued:<\/p>\n \u201cSome wonderful footage captures the drama and emotion of the event; watching the tears on faces in the crowd you understand the fundamental social and spiritual importance images have always had in human life.\u201d<\/p>\n There is a real sense of the potential impact of visual culture, and an ambitious reach in this series.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Civilisations begins with the first episode, The Second Moment of Creation<\/em> on Thursday March 1 looking at the formative role art and the creative imagination have played in the forging of humanity itself.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n To accompany the Civilisations <\/em>series, The Open University has also produced a stunning poster representing many of the objects from around the world that are featured in the programmes. To order your free poster go to http:\/\/www.open.edu\/openlearn\/civilisations#order-your-free-poster<\/a><\/p>\n The Open University has been working with the BBC to produce a vivid new series that relates directly to our new and developing Art History Curriculum<\/a>, its digital platforms and outreach projects.<\/p>\n The exciting new third level art history course launched this year – Art and its Global Histories<\/em><\/a> – explores in depth many of the issues explored in this TV series. It covers art from the early modern period to the present from a global perspective, looking at many of those cultural encounters featured in the BBC series.<\/p>\n Other online assets include films made by OU academics that provide detailed analysis of many of the objects featured in this BBC series, such as the Openlearn resource Travelling Objects <\/em><\/a>\u00a0and our Open Arts Objects<\/em> <\/a>archive.<\/p>\n Civilisations begins with the first episode, The Second Moment of Creation<\/em> on Thursday March 1 at 9pm on BBC2, looking at the formative role art and the creative imagination have played in the forging of humanity itself.\u00a0 Join the debate afterwards at our online discussion hub, where Open University academics will be posting questions and responding to your questions and thoughts.<\/p>\n\u201cThe presenters travel around the globe and look up close at dazzling works of art and architecture, from the Taj Mahal, Angkor Wat, the Benin Bronzes, photographs of the American West to Dutch paintings in the Rijksmuseum, explaining what images can tell us about the \u2018big questions\u2019 of human civilisations.<\/p>\nImages play an important part in human life<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Free poster offer from The Open University<\/strong><\/h2>\n
New Open University courses link to this series<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Join in the discussion<\/strong><\/h2>\n