CURATED NEWS JULY 2026

INSIGHT

Immerse  yourself in Julia Watson’s Lo-Tek Water: A Field Guide for TEKnology. Co-authored with Indigenous knowledge keepers from around the world, this is a textbook for ancestral water systems and an inspiration for anyone interested in bio-cultural resilience and regenerative urban futures.

Listen to Sheila Hicks in conversation with Spencer Bailey on the Time Sensitive Podcast. From her home in Saint Germain des Prés, the sculptural textile and fibre artist discusses her lifelong relationship with weaving, perception through materials and environment, and life as a series of portals.

Discover a photographic essay capturing the nomadic communities navigating a warming climate in the Pamir Mountains of Kyrgyzstan. Shot by photographer Zachary Handley.

CONNECT

Contemplate the ways ancient wisdom matters in the modern world in anthropologist Wade Davis’ The Wayfinders. A book exploring what it means to be human and alive.

Collaborate with the creative community at Domaine de Boisbuchet, where summer workshops around the theme of Living Matter are now open.

Attend Hay Festival Querétaro. A gathering of authors, journalists, and scientists from around the world for intergenerational conversations on literature and culture. The full programme will launch later in July, and the festival takes place each September.

NOURISH

Visit the Remedios Varo exhibition at Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Merging dream worlds, scientific exploration, and magical thinking, the Spanish-Mexican surrealist’s works conjure a universe of fantastical lands and characters.

Relish in the eleventh issue of Robida Magazine. A gathering of essays, photographic explorations, and poetic texts centred on the orchard as a landscape and fruit trees as metaphors for living archives of stories.

Get lost in Aleksandra Kasuba’s Shelters for the Senses exhibition at Tate St Ives. Spanning painting, mosaic, sculpture and architectural design, the Lithuanian-American artists’ work embodies her desire to forge a deeper connection between humanity and nature.

LOCAL NEWS

A celebration of the Buddha ~

On 31 May, the people of Ritoma gathered at the monastery to observe one of the most important days in the local calendar: the day marking the birth, enlightenment and passing of the Buddha. Many undertook vows of silence or fasting, dedicating the day to reflection, gratitude, and the cultivation of compassion. At Norlha, the atelier closes for two days to allow everyone to participate.

As the sun set, villagers began the long night of circumambulating the small Chakdor Korchen temple that stands on the hill above the village. Without looking back or stopping to rest, they walked until sunrise. The following day was one of reflection and recovery, a time to return home, sleep, and absorb the merit of the practice.

A new section of the Norlha atelier ~

On 15 June, Norlha opened the doors to its new tailoring unit in Labrang.

We are delighted to welcome a new group of young apprentices and team members, whose commitment and hard work have been evident since the first days of their training. As new skills are learned and passed on, the Norlha family continues to grow.

The move to Chakka ~

On 12 July, the nomadic families of Ritoma departed for the high summer pastures of Chakka.

Under clear blue skies, tractors left first, piled high with tent canvas, stoves, cooking pots, wooden bed frames, and tightly rolled bedding. Perched on top of the load, almost without exception, sat the family dog.

The following day, the rest of the family made the journey on horseback or motorbike, guiding the herds of yak and flocks of sheep across the grasslands. One or two fortunate puppies bounded alongside, beginning their own summer migration.

Stretching across Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, and China, the Pamir Mountains form part of the Third Pole, the world’s largest body of alpine ice and freshwater outside the Arctic and Antarctica. Image by Zachary Handley for Atmos.