Relentless

The world's chess titans clash.

The two titans of chess Gary Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov will be playing 12 games of chess between 21 and 24 September this year, commemorating 25 years of their legendary rivalry.

Chess carries some of the most openly exotic permutations of competition out there. The art of chess and the decision-making process that supports it has stimulated a heated discourse - one that even includes computers.

Controversy and idiosyncrasy seem to be nearly prerequisite for becoming a dominant chess player. Being Russian, apparently also helps. Most chess players are often entangled in mystery – they begin as prodigal youths that graduate through a sheltered life of chess tournaments and find comfort in pursuing obscure, and often deeply personal causes.

The world’s top two are no exception. Anatoly Karpov has left aside the spoils of the world of chess dominance and has recently gotten involved in promoting the use of iodised salt. Not one to be outdone, Gary Kasparov has taken to becoming one of the most vocal critics of Russia’s former president - Vladimir Putin, which has resulted in his arrest and numerous life threats.

For a precious three days, however, these two will put their considerable hobbies aside and will clash in 12 games of raw, unadulterated strategic action in Valencia, Spain. We are sold.

The evidence surrounding the action.

We are suitably fixated with the nature of sports - the drama, drive, tension, the often animalistic competition all play an indellible part of our infatuation with spectator sports.

Our fascination is well-documented. There are books, studies, and a matter of thousands of years of human history that position sports as a central element to our cultural move forward.

American photographer Howard Shatz has taken things to a completely different level, far more peripheral to the concept of sports. In an astounding series of boxing portaits he compares side by side before and after images of fighters. The vivid, almost forensic approach,allows for a sober perspective on what is otherwise a testosterone-driven and intensely brutal spectacle.

Photos: World Press Photo
http://www.howardschatz.com/

Henry Wellcome’s medical artefacts on display.

Henry Wellcome’s collection reveals a man fully invested in his dream, and showts just how far he went.

The rigours of a strict religious upbringing must have had a profound effect on Henry Wellcome. It is not difficult to imagine how his vision fuelled his ascent in becoming one of the world’s pre-eminent and most famed medical entrepreneurs.

His passion infiltrated many aspects of his personal and professional life. Driven by an insatiable desire to bring clarity both to the subject of medicine, as well as its role in the human psyche, he began a collection of medical artefacts. The collection grew, as did his company. In the process, he produced many firsts in the history of modern medicine (like for example the tablet), and certifiably the only one with nearly a million items of medical history in his possession.

And what a collection it is. It maps out the development of medicine and healing through history and cultures. It unfolds from the apocryphal, through anecdotal to analytical. Amulets against malevolent spirits, Napoleon’s toothbrush, and specially commissioned art by Richard Tennant Cooper are but a snapshot of the variety available on offer.

His extraordinary vision and commitment produced perhaps one of the most peculiarly curated exhibitions to date - part culture, part art, part technology – all of which, is housed at the Wellcome Trust in London, and available to view for free. Henry Wellcome’s collection is also the subject of a new book – An Infinity of Things by Frances Larson, published by Oxford University Press.

Martin Strel: forever swimming upstream.

The ICA in London is screening the extraordinary documentary tale of Slovenian marathon swimmer and environmental daredevil Martin Strel and his epic Amazon swim.

Having braved some of the world’s most treacherous rivers, the unflappable Martin Strel took on the seemingly impossible task of swimming the entire length of the Amazon river – all of its magnificent 3,274 miles of pirahnas, crocodiles, toxic waste, anacondas and bandits early in 2007. His journey was recorded in vivd detail by American film-maker John Maringouin, and is being screened at the ICA as part of their ongoing Wild Docs series.