Last night my brother and I were lucky enough to see Brian Cox perform what could be inadequately called a lecture. It was a show filled with visuals and information which had me in a state of awe and learning for the entire 2 hour run time.
Never before had somebody so skilfully offered me an understanding, albeit incomplete, of the theory of general relativity. Equipped with my new appreciation for the importance of fundamental speed limit of the universe I experienced a deeper sense of the numinous as Brian both described and demonstrated on the mega-high resolution screen behind him the workings of a black hole. I felt a very real terror as we were thrust closer and closer into the simulation by Double Negative.
The show naturally transitioned into the foundations of the universe and the subject matter in discussion was just as wondrous. Robert Ince reliably provided quality humour as well as at one point offering a rumination on appreciating the now.
I left the O2 astounded by what I had just seen. I’ve enjoyed many shows and performances of various types, but the polish, execution, and quality of content in Brian Cox’s “lecture” is unrivalled.