Arena

Episode Synopsis

The King and I For David Oxtoby, Elvis is king. He's been painting rock 'n' roll stars since the 50s, much to the bemusement of the art establishment. Most of the paintings in this film-of Presley, Haley, Gene Vincent etc - were stolen and subsequently burnt by Italian bandits and so Arena presents a unique chance to view the work of this entertaining but ill-starred artist. Journey to the Surface of the Earth Last year the artist Mark Boyle attained the singular distinction of occupying the entire British pavilion at the Venice Biennale astonishing visitors with a Sardinian mountainside, a ploughed field and a Liverpool pavement. Since pioneering light shows with Jimi Hendrix and the Soft Machine he has devoted his life to travelling the world, recreating with uncanny accuracy six-foot-square replicas of the Earth's surface.