~theguardian-world | Bookmarks (121)

Keith Piper says engaging with offensive and traumatic imagery can be important in keeping a clear sense of historyAn artist commissioned to respond to a mural in Tate Britain that has been sealed off from the public since 2020 because of its depictions of black and Chinese people, says viewing traumatic and racist images is crucial for us to truly grapple with our history.Keith...

Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster picked up seven awards while Poor Things star won over Lily Gladstone for best actressThe winners – full listHow the night unfoldedThe night’s real winners and losers Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster biopic Oppenheimer has triumphed at this year’s Oscars taking home seven awards including best picture, best actor and best director.The drama, telling the story of the “father of the atomic bomb”,...

Shibuya district is offering tours of its architect-designed public facilities that feature in Perfect DaysJapan’s hi-tech toilets have long fascinated visitors who rave about their heated seats, bidet function, automatic flushing, and even background noises to mask the unwelcome sounds that can accompany the call of nature.Now, international interest in the country’s public conveniences is surging thanks to the German director Wim Wenders, whose...

Guy Chambers says future albums may need disclaimers about how they were made amid rise of AI’s use for writing songsThe songwriter behind hits for Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue has described the acceleration in use of artificial intelligence in the music industry as “terrifying” because of its potential to replace songwriters.Guy Chambers, who has collaborated with Williams over more than two decades, said:...

Japanese artist remembered for his ‘unique world of creation’ including comic series that spawned films, video games and TV seriesAkira Toriyama, the influential Japanese manga artist who created the Dragon Ball series, has died at the age of 68.He died on 1 March from an acute subdural haematoma. The news was confirmed by Bird Studio, the manga company that Toriyama founded in 1983. Continue...

Song amended after organisers banned entry for seeming references to 7 October attacks, which broke rules on political neutralityIsrael will be allowed to compete at the Eurovision song contest after changing the lyrics to its song, organisers have confirmed.Eden Golan, representing Israel at this year’s competition, originally submitted a ballad called October Rain, widely thought to reference the Hamas attacks of 7 October. However,...

The Pritzker prize has been won by the 78-year-old Japanese master whose whose work ranges from an open-access Hiroshima fire station to a building seemingly made of booksFrom rows of public housing connected by elevated walkways and shared terraces, to sleek glass university buildings designed for maximum transparency between departments, the architecture of Riken Yamamoto has always been about seeing and being seen. Now...

Instrument was adapted, translated and corrected by Muslim and Jewish users in Spain, north Africa and ItalyAlmost exactly a year ago, Federica Gigante was preparing a lecture and searching the internet for a portrait of the 17th-century Italian nobleman and collector Ludovico Moscardo when an altogether different image caught her eye.The historian’s gaze soon snagged on a photo of a metal disc with a...

The hugely successful beach-set drama is returning to television after an underwhelming response to 2017 movieA reboot of the highly successful drama Baywatch is heading to television.The original series became one of the most watched shows in the world running for 11 seasons in the late 80s and 90s. The new version will again follow a group of Los Angeles county lifeguards as they...

Fashion personality who found fame in her 80s went from copywriter at Women’s Wear Daily to design authority whose projects included the White HouseIris Apfel – a life in picturesIris Apfel, the interior designer and fashion tastemaker who found fame as an octogenarian, has died aged 102.Apfel’s agent, Lori Sale, confirmed her death on Friday, and said “working alongside her was the honour of...

High-budget series with largely Japanese cast avoids well-worn western orientalist fantasies and wins plaudits in JapanJapanese audiences could have been forgiven for bracing themselves when Disney announced Shōgun, a 10-part adaptation of James Clavell’s classic 1975 novel.With few exceptions, Hollywood depictions of Japan and the Japanese have relied on one-dimensional characters whose purpose is to confirm cultural stereotypes, set against the backdrop of an...

From the Tate Britain to New York’s Met, some of the world’s mightiest galleries have signed up for my audio guides, which shift the spotlight onto female artists like Rosa Bonheur – who required a permit to wear trousers‘Do women have to be naked to get into the Met Museum?” asked a 1989 artwork by the Guerrilla Girls, the all-female-identifying activist artist collective. A...

Early editions of the book of quotations will be sold at an auction of Cultural Revolution artefactsThe Little Red Book, a talisman of 20th-century Maoism, may have fallen out of favour in China after the Cultural Revolution, but its popularity with collectors shows no sign of abating.The book, officially entitled Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong, was given its popular name due to the bright...

Four-minute video features drag queens, twerking, ballerinas, a classical Indian dancer and a bunch of friends from CanberraFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe former Canberra scientist Dr Weliton Menário Costa said it “felt like winning Eurovision” when he learned he had won the global “Dance Your PhD” competition, for...

Allegations, which rapper and mogul denies, is the latest in a series of lawsuits accusing him of sexual assaultSean Combs, the rapper and mogul known as Diddy, was sued Monday by a music producer who accused the hip-hop mogul of sexually assaulting him and forcing him to have sex with prostitutes.The suit, filed in federal court in New York, accuses Combs of repeated instances...

Christopher Nolan’s historical epic picked up three major acting awards while The Bear and Succession shared the big TV winsChristopher Nolan’s hit biopic Oppenheimer has dominated this year’s Screen Actors Guild awards.The cast of the biographical epic won for best ensemble, ahead of Barbie and Killers of the Flower Moon. Cillian Murphy picked up male actor in a leading role, which was also contested...

Rapper and mogul disputes ‘genuineness’ of alleged photo of him with plaintiff, and complains over timing of lawsuitSean Combs, the rapper and mogul known as Diddy, has filed a defence against allegations that he and two others sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl at a recording studio in 2003.New paperwork filed on Tuesday, reported by Rolling Stone, wholly denied the allegations from the unnamed plaintiff,...

Factories, nightclubs, lifesavers and pigeon-fanciers to be celebrated in films and community storytellingStories of an old bacon factory in Wiltshire, a rollerskating hotspot in Birmingham and a pigeon fanciers’ enclave in West Yorkshire are to be celebrated as part of an attempt to preserve England’s working-class heritage.A beloved north-west nightclub, a London pub that helped launch the careers of 1970s and 80s pop and...

Entertainment company pays tribute to performer’s ‘impeccable dancing’ and ‘vibrant spirit’The former Strictly Come Dancing professional Robin Windsor has died at the age of 44.He most recently appeared in the stage show Come What May, a tribute to Moulin Rouge. Continue reading...

Public encouraged to comment on seven artists’ proposals for ephemeral pedestal in Trafalgar SquareA sweet potato island; a hollow, lifesized person on a horse cast in slime-green resin; and a golden bronze sculpture of a woman whose features have been amalgamated are among the shortlisted ideas for the next fourth plinth commission in Trafalgar Square.Organisers of the contemporary art installation announced on Monday seven...

Chilean social media users target institution, forcing it at one point to close comments on postsThe British Museum is tackling an influx of social media trolls from Chile, who have flooded the museum’s Instagram posts calling for the return of a moai statue, one of the stone monuments from Easter Island.The museum has two moai, which were taken from Rapa Nui (Easter Island) by...

The once-in-a-lifetime show has finally come to Australia. For the millions who couldn’t get tickets, might a slightly chaotic blog be the next best thing? We’ll find out. But fair warning: setlist spoilersGot a tip? Email us at melb.eras@guardian.co.ukIs this Taylor Swift’s biggest ever concert?Find your seat with the MCG stadium seating mapTaylor Swift sing-along on board Qantas flight to MelbourneThe Taylor Swift hype...

New conservatorship is being proposed for the musician, following the death of his wife Melinda in January, according to court documentsIt has been announced that the Beach Boys co-founder and musical mastermind Brian Wilson has dementia, as his family move to appoint new conservators to help him following the death of his wife.A statement on Wilson’s website reads: “Following the passing of Brian’s beloved...

Environment minister says authorities are testing mulch in the area but any issues would be resolved before pop star’s sold-out shows at Accor StadiumTaylor Swift Melbourne concert live updates: Eras tour hits AustraliaGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe New South Wales environment minister has sought to assure Taylor Swift fans that the pop star’s Sydney concerts will...