The original seven wonders of the world, as described by the Greek poet Antipater of Sidon, only existed simultaneously for about 60 years, the time between when the Colossus of Rhodes was completed in around 280 B.C. and when it was destroyed by an earthquake in 226 B.C. Yet the reputation of these great towering structures, unrivaled in scale and in artistry, lives on. At the turn of the millennium, a Swiss-born Canadian filmmaker named Bernard Weber began a campaign to designate seven new wonders of the world. Of the 20 candidates, only two came from the 20th century: the Sydney Opera House, built in 1959, and Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue, finished in 1931. The other 18 were ancient: the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China. Even the Statue of Liberty was more than a century old at that This story is from Kinfolk Issue Thirty-Eight Buy Now Related Stories Arts & Culture Issue 45 Yoga with Adriene The internet’s best friend is—finally—finding her own flow. Arts & Culture Garden Issue 45 Piet Oudolf The Dutch designer bringing life—and death—to traditional gardens. Arts & Culture Issue 45 Thomas MacDonell The conservationist transforming the Highlands. Arts & Culture Design Issue 45 The New Craftsmen From the Outer Hebrides to central London, Catherine Lock is celebrating the crafts heritage of Great Britain. Arts & Culture Music Issue 45 Gerard & Kelly On dance, domesticity and the giants of modernism. Arts & Culture Issue 45 Hang in There How to make the best of a bad job.
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Arts & Culture Garden Issue 45 Piet Oudolf The Dutch designer bringing life—and death—to traditional gardens.
Arts & Culture Design Issue 45 The New Craftsmen From the Outer Hebrides to central London, Catherine Lock is celebrating the crafts heritage of Great Britain.
