In the Loop

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Poet Paul Farley goes walking in circles to ask why human beings find them so symbolic.

Poet Paul Farley goes walking in circles to ask why human beings find loops and rings so significant and symbolic.

...a circle has no beginning and no end. It represents rebirth and regeneration, continuity and infinity. From wedding rings to stone circles, in poetry, music and the trajectories of the planets themselves, circles and loops are embedded in our imaginations.

In this five-part series poet Paul Farley goes walking in circles in five very different 'loopy' locations. He visits a traffic roundabout, a rollercoaster and a particle accelerator to asks why human beings find rings and circles so symbolic, significant and satisfying. 

The earliest civilisations were drawn to the idea of closing a circle and creating a loop; in human relationships we'd all rather be within the circle of trust; and in arts and music our eyes, ears and minds are inexorably drawn towards - and rebel against - the 'strange loops' of Bach, Gödel and Escher.

As he puts himself in the loop - sometimes at the centre and sometimes on the circumference - 
Paul has circular conversations with mathematicians and physicists, composers and poets. Each one propels him into a new loop of enquiry. And that's because a circle has no beginning and no end...

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In the Loop: 2. Traffic Roundabout

2. Traffic Roundabout

BBC Radio 4 - In the Loop, 2. Traffic Roundabout

Poet Paul Farley goes walking in circles. Today he's in orbit around a traffic roundabout.

Poet Paul Farley goes walking in circles to ask why human beings find loops and rings so significant. Today he’s in orbit around one of the largest traffic roundabouts in Europe.

…a circle has no beginning and no end. It represents rebirth and regeneration, continuity and infinity. From wedding rings to stone circles, in poetry, music and the trajectories of the planets themselves, circles and loops are embedded in our imaginations.

Poet Paul Farley goes walking in circles in five very different ‘loopy’ locations. He visits a stone circle, a rollercoaster and a particle accelerator to ask why human beings find rings and circles so symbolic, significant and satisfying. 

The earliest civilisations were drawn to the idea of closing a circle and creating a loop; in human relationships we’d all rather be within the circle of trust; and in arts and music our eyes, ears and minds are inexorably drawn towards – and rebel against - the ‘strange loops’ of Bach, Gödel and Escher.

As he puts himself in the loop – sometimes at the centre and sometimes on the circumference – Paul has circular conversations with mathematicians and physicists, composers and poets. Each one propels him into a new loop of enquiry. And that’s because a circle has no beginning and no end…

Paul begins the second episode in orbit around one of the largest traffic roundabouts in Europe – the Coryton Interchange near Cardiff. He explores its interior with ecologist Elen Hall and roundabout enthusiast Kevin Beresford and discovers an island of the unexpected. Engineer John Parkin shares the secret of a good roundabout. And poet Paul Muldoon recalls a childhood memory of a special day out to visit the first one in Northern Ireland. 

Producer: Jeremy Grange

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In the Loop

2. Traffic Roundabout

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