https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/ Independent magazine on culture, sport, politics and the arts. Novel, innovative, under-reported. en-gb Wed, 26 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-notice-the-water-youre-already-in https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-notice-the-water-youre-already-in Wed, 26 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Claudia Neuschulz Society Exploring the relationship between water and attention, considering what our obsession with measurement, productivity, and outcomes has taken from us. https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-eau-eau https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-eau-eau Wed, 22 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Sophie Ackroyd Arts A visual project inspired by the Haitian Vodou spirit LaSirenn, to explore water as a metaphor for identity, transformation and feminine strength. https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-oceanic-birthright https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-oceanic-birthright Wed, 22 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Mira Gupta Sport Mira Gupta explores water as a space of memory, politics and healing, tracing the intersections of marine ecology, colonialism and surf culture through Black and Indigenous histories. https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-omi-leko https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-omi-leko Wed, 22 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Ayodeji Ayodele Arts This photo essay explores water as a living force that shapes identity, survival, and memory in Lagos. https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-omi-leko-pz9xk https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-omi-leko-pz9xk Wed, 22 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Tukur Ridwan Arts A series of poems by Tukur Ridwan exploring water through spirituality, ritual and marine imagery, tracing the sea as a site of rebirth, longing and transformation. https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-omi-ni-polish https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-omi-ni-polish Wed, 22 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Abdulrazaq Balogun Arts A poem by Abdulrazaq Balogun exploring water as a force of creation, healing and destruction, reflecting on its role within memory, ritual and human violence. https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-tainted-waters https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-tainted-waters Wed, 22 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Prince El-sha Martey Arts A photo series by Prince El-sha Martey documenting life along Ghana’s polluted rivers, lagoons and coastlines. https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-the-coast-divine-water https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-the-coast-divine-water Wed, 22 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Mira Gupta Arts A collection of poems by Mira Hagiwara Gupta exploring water as a space of intimacy, spirituality and emotional transformation across love, memory and ritual. https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-where-the-water-used-to-fall https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-where-the-water-used-to-fall Wed, 22 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Deana Kotiga Arts Deana Kotiga reflects on her Croatian homeland through her accompanying photographic project, tracing how environmental change unsettles memory, place and belonging. https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-aerochrome-coastlines https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-aerochrome-coastlines Sat, 11 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Mil Donila Arts Using rare Kodak Aerochrome film, Mil Donila captures Philippine coastlines in striking infrared tones, reimagining a medium designed to reveal what lies hidden. https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-beach-epiphany https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-beach-epiphany Sat, 11 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Jai Toor Arts Rodrigo Koraicho is a photographer and visual artist based in São Paulo. Since 2017 he has been developing Beach Epiphany , a long-term photographic investigation into the social and psychological landscape of Miami Beach. https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-flowing-between-parallels-northfield-brook https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-flowing-between-parallels-northfield-brook Sat, 11 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Rawz Society Multimedia artist Rawz follows a small stream in Oxfordshire that bridges one of England’s sharpest socio-economic divides. https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-logistics-and-leviathan https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-logistics-and-leviathan Sat, 11 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Freddie Smith Culture Freddie Smith explores how both films reveal the hidden violence and scale of global industry, reshaping how we perceive time, labour and the exploitation of the sea. https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-nbspthe-round-lake https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-nbspthe-round-lake Sat, 11 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Laila Ghaffar Culture Laila Ghaffar traces how The Round Lake collapses dystopian fiction into present reality, exposing the colonial and political structures driving water scarcity in Pakistan. https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-steve-timms-collages https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-steve-timms-collages Sat, 11 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Steve Timms Arts A visual commentary by collage artist Steve Timms, pairing surreal water-inspired collages with reflections on swimming, escapism and emotional renewal. https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-the-flood-is-coming https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-the-flood-is-coming Sat, 11 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Lina Idrees Society Exploring how climate change, political inaction and global power are bound together in producing mass displacement and environmental injustice. https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-the-undesirables https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-the-undesirables Sat, 11 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Jai Toor Arts In the mid-1940s, hundreds of Chinese seamen were secretly deported from Liverpool. Their families were told nothing. Hester Yang's The Undesirables is the work that refuses to let that silence stand. https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-water-damage https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-water-damage Sat, 11 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Sophie Smith Arts A personal reflection on generational trauma, memory and healing, using damaged family archives and submerged film to explore water as both a force of destruction and renewal. https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-nancy-june https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-nancy-june Tue, 30 Dec 2025 09:00:00 +0000 Jai Toor Arts Following our Halloween event, we caught up with DJ and producer Nancy June to delve into her signature heavy bass sound and explore how her early life experiences have shaped her identity behind the decks. https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-la-sape https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-la-sape Mon, 11 Aug 2025 09:00:00 +0000 Ashley Zibiza Culture La Sape is a Congolese sartorial movement and subculture rooted in the reclamation of agency, power and identity. It is both a manifestation and influence of Black Dandyism, the theme of the 2025 Met Gala. https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-learning-from-satire https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-learning-from-satire Tue, 18 Mar 2025 09:00:00 +0000 Freddie Smith Culture Exploring Satire and the 2019 Mister America, underscoring its importance but questioning its lack of impact. https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-black-voices-in-country-music https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-black-voices-in-country-music Sun, 09 Feb 2025 09:00:00 +0000 Ashley Zibiza Culture How the work of Claudia Jones helps explain the lack of black recognition in country music. https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-we-the-ragamuffin https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-we-the-ragamuffin Wed, 11 Dec 2024 09:00:00 +0000 Nathan Tuft Arts Nathan Tuft sat down with Julian Henriques to discuss his 1992 film We The Ragamuffin. Through showcasing local talent, the film offered a refreshing view on British-Carribean culture in the area. https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-the-nonchalance-of-suicide https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-the-nonchalance-of-suicide Wed, 04 Dec 2024 09:00:00 +0000 Freddie Smith Culture Exploring how Abbas Kiarostami’s Taste of Cherry approaches men's mental health. https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-afropean https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-afropean Tue, 05 Nov 2024 09:00:00 +0000 Ethan Odle Arts Fourth Floor sat down with photographer, writer, and cultural commentator Johny Pitts for a conversation about his upcoming podcast, developed in collaboration with Reduced Listening. This project builds upon themes from his acclaimed 2019 book, Afropean, delving deeper into the identities and experiences of the Black diaspora across Europe. https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-community-in-film-through-food https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-community-in-film-through-food Mon, 28 Oct 2024 09:00:00 +0000 Freddie Smith Culture Exploring the centrality of food and importance of community through Juzo Itami’s Tampopo. https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-the-community-cook-up https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-the-community-cook-up Wed, 04 Sep 2024 09:00:00 +0000 Jai Toor Arts Fourth Floor sat down with Hannah Norton to talk about her latest project, focusing on a food bank located in Tottenham. Norton's documentary work captures the stories and experiences of a community that has demonstrated remarkable resilience in the face of increasing challenges. https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-the-lasting-effects-of-acclimatisation-on-immigrants-identitiesnbsp https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-the-lasting-effects-of-acclimatisation-on-immigrants-identitiesnbsp Wed, 21 Aug 2024 09:00:00 +0000 Ashley Zibiza Society Adjusting to a new home is a priority for immigrants, especially second-generation individuals born in Western countries. The question arises: when does this 'code switching' begin to erode our identity? https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-the-human-condition-with-photographic-bandwidth https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-the-human-condition-with-photographic-bandwidth Tue, 18 Jun 2024 09:00:00 +0000 Jai Toor Arts Fourth Floor sat down with Timothy, the founder of Photographic Bandwidth, a publishing house exploring spirituality and philosophical approaches to the human condition through documentary photography. They discussed his early inspirations, self discovery into Hinduism, and the ethical balance to his practise. https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-ai-art-with-jumoke-fernandez https://www.thefourthfloor.co.uk/article-ai-art-with-jumoke-fernandez Wed, 12 Jun 2024 09:00:00 +0000 Soheil Rahimi Arts Soheil sat down with Jumoke Fernandez to talk about generative AI and art. Discussions centred on her journey, processes, and working with the likes of Meta and Netflix, before delving deeper into the wider societal implications and ethical risks emerging from this space.