flowers in history, art and culture

If you're looking for a comprehensive look at the subject, there is the excellent piece: Flowers in Art History: A Comprehensive Guide Through Different Eras — Ellermann Florist and Flower Delivery

In Europe the 'craze' for a particular flower started with the Tulip mania which swept Holland in the 1630s: Tulip mania (Dutch: tulpenmanie) was a period during the Dutch Golden Age when contract prices for some bulbs of the recently introduced and fashionable tulip reached extraordinarily high levels... The introduction of the tulip to Europe is often attributed to Ogier de Busbecq, the ambassador of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, to Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, who sent the first tulip bulbs and seeds to Vienna in 1554 from the Ottoman Empire.

[picture from Wikipedia: A tulip, known as "the Viceroy" (viseroij), displayed in the 1637 Dutch catalogue Verzameling van een Meenigte Tulipaanen ("Collection of a Crowd of Tulips"). Its bulb was offered for sale for between 3,000 and 4,200 guilders (florins) depending on weight (gewooge). A skilled artisan at the time earned about 300 guilders a year.[1]

Staying in Holland, the Dutch Golden Age produced some fabulous paintings of flowers - such as this: Dutch flower painting: In detail | Dutch Flowers | National Gallery, London.

And the most famous flower painting of them all was painted by a Dutchman: BBC Four - Painting Flowers, Sunflower, Van Gogh's Sunflowers and Van Gogh’s Sunflowers: The unknown history - BBC Culture

But what about flowers in other cultures?

In communist China, the sunflower was the symbol of the people always turning their heads to the sun that was Mao: Ai Weiwei – Sunflower Seeds | Artist Interview | Tate - YouTube and Sunflower Seeds by Ai Weiwei Explained: Art, Activism, and Symbolism.

In Ukraine, it is the symbol of their country - and is the yellow of their sunflower-and-sky flag: The Meaning Behind Ukraine’s National Symbols - PostcodeUkraine.org

There's also a whole lot of culture behind cut flowers - and it's quite a big thing: What Are Cut Flowers: History, Meaning, and Arranging Guide - Plant Grower World.

If we are looking for the most exquisite tradition in arranging cut flowers, then we must turn to Ikebana: Ikebana (生け花, 活け花, 'arranging flowers' or 'making flowers alive') is the Japanese art of flower arrangement.[1][2] It is also known as kadō (花道, 'way of flowers'). The origin of ikebana can be traced back to the ancient Japanese custom of erecting evergreen trees and decorating them with flowers as Yorishiro to invite the gods.

You can (in English) Learn the Basics of Ikebana although it does need years of study. Here's something a bit more: IKEBANA, Japanese style flower arrangement (English Version) 〜生け花〜 Japan Vlog - YouTube and Ikebana Explained: 7 Essential Principles of Japanese Flower Arrangement - YouTube

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classical dance from africa

'Western classical' (or 'art') music forms are associated with 'the West', but there are some fabulous examples of these coming out of other parts of the world. It does depend on your taste in music, but, before the political mess really started in Venezuela, there was a wonderful project happening there and the recycled orchestra of Cateura Paraguay is another great piece of inspiration.

On the BBC World Service today and on their excellent set of podcast documentaries, we can hear about the Kibera ballerinas: just listen to the first five minutes to get a sense of what this extraordinary project is all about...

[Or, if you prefer to get your BBC podcasts this way: Kibera Ballerinas - The Documentary Podcast - Apple Podcasts]

This is all about their latest piece: Dancing Through the Dust: Ballerinas turn one of the Kenya's Largest Slum into a Stage for a Christmas Show - with more pictures here: In Pics: Christmas ballet performance in Nairobi's Kibera slum-Xinhua

Here's a video of their work:

Ballet in Kibera, Kenya #UniteFor Community - YouTube

To finish, here's something from professional dancers in Senegal:

DANCING AT DUSK - A moment with Pina Bausch’s The Rite of Spring - YouTube

This Breathtaking Film Captures 38 African Dancers Performing Pina Bausch's Rite of Spring

Brought to the stage in Paris:

Pina Bausch's The Rite of Spring | The evolution of an epic - YouTube

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parodying websites

Parody is often linked to dissent and satire, as well as irony - and today it is very much part of the current issues around populism, culture wars and woke.

One example of parody would be the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

And in the news, we have: Comedy duo create Band Aid parody, Spicy Burlesque Parody 'The Empire Strips Back' and Die Hard musical parody showing at Norwich Puppet Theatre.

And back to the politics, it is suggested that 2025 was the year the far-right became a parody of itself.

This also brings us to the world of the parody website - for example: The Onion and ClickHole - Because All Content Deserves To Go Viral.

Whereas website spoofing might be legally questionable, as the Spoof website service suggests, it can actually work as a piece of political activism. In many countries, you can legally make a parody website:  Under US law a parody often counts as fair use, but it must be a “true parody” — that is one that seeks to comment on or criticize the original, not just a work that modifies the original to be funny.

The latest parody website parodies the United States' most prestigious performing arts venue, formerly known as The Kennedy Center - YouTube. The actual website is currently offering a Queue-it system because it is unable to manage the traffic wanting to enter it...

From the 'Trump-Kennedy Center', we do get this press release: Kennedy Center Board elects President Donald J. Trump as Board Chair | Kennedy Center Or as the USA Today news website asks: Did Trump rename the Kennedy Center after himself? Yes, that and more. Which has meant that artists cancel Kennedy Center shows after the Trump name change.

Also in today's news, we learn that a South Park writer has already purchased ‘Trump-Kennedy Center’ website domain to troll the president:

A former South Park writer bought two website domain names in order to troll Donald Trump after predicting the president’s move to rename the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. Toby Morton saw that the writing was on the wall before the writing was on the wall, and purchased TrumpKennedyCenter.org and TrumpKennedyCenter.com back in August.

Earlier this month, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that the world-famous performing arts center would be renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center after a unanimous – but potentially illegal – vote from the institution’s new board, made up of members hand picked by the president. The move has already prompted public protests, as well as multiple artists to pull out of performances scheduled at the center in the coming weeks and a lawsuit that claims that the name change is unlawful as it can only be approved by Congress.

Morton, who has credits with the satirical cartoon and Mad TV, is known to have bought political domains in order to turn them into satirical. He told The Washington Post that he had purchased the Kennedy Center names after guessing the president’s plans.

And here is HOME | Trump Kennedy Center... [which does say at the bottom of the home page: 'THIS WEBSITE IS PARODY']

It's all a bit of a mess, with suggestions that Trump's White House, Kennedy Center moves could hurt the GOP in 2026, in that Trump’s ‘Marie Antoinette thing’ could cost Republicans in midterms.

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bridget riley, artist

At 94, the British artist Bridget Riley has a lot of work to show - and she has two shows on at the moment: Exhibition Bridget Riley Point de départ | Musée d'Orsay in Paris and Bridget Riley: Learning to See | Turner Contemporary in Margate, an hour from London on the coast.

Bridget Riley | Check it out from the DISD Library | DI Library | Flickr

Here's a super documentary on Bridget Riley - Painting the Line (BBC):

With exclusive behind-the-scenes access, seldom-seen footage from the archives, insights from admirers, experts and contemporaries including Tracey Emin, Michael Craig-Martin and Martin Freeman, and a revealing interview by Kirsty Wark, this is the story of a true visionary of British art. 

Bridget Riley has been challenging our perception through painting for over 60 years, with radical work that has transformed how we look at art and invites us to feel with our eyes. With simple black and white geometric shapes, repeated curves of colour or an array of muted dots, Riley’s work moves, shimmers and - in some cases - unsettles. 

At the age of 90, Bridget Riley shows no signs of stopping. Her paintings command millions at auction, she has won prestigious awards and honours, and continues to innovate, paint, publish and exhibit around the world. BBC cameras have filmed with Riley over the past few years in two of her studios, on the cliffs of Cornwall, where she spent the Second World War, and at the National Gallery in London during the installation of her enormous mural there in 2018. 

In a rare and revealing interview with Kirsty Wark, Riley dispels the numerous misconceptions which have followed her throughout her career. Many consider her as a poster girl for the Swinging 60s, while others hail her as a titan of abstract art. However, Riley considers herself a traditional painter who has merely picked up the baton from those who have gone before her, such as Leonardo da Vinci, Monet, Cezanne and Matisse.

Finally, here's the Bridget Riley | Homepage

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yinka shonibare, artist

The future is African whether in language [Nigeria is the third largest country when it comes to English speakers] or music or politics. 

But also when it comes to art - with an exhibition happening at London's Tate Modern on Nigerian Modernism

As a review on the BBC says, Nigerian Modernism gets recognition, as "a transfer of the old ideas, old items, old technologies, old thought into a different, modern time". It is "projecting the present, and showing the way towards the future".

Certainly when it comes to art and culture, there are all sorts of adventures in art at the British Museum - from Status Symbols (1200 - 1400 AD), Ife head to The First Global Economy (1450 - 1600 AD), Benin plaque - the Oba with Europeans to The World of Our Making (1914 - 2010 AD), Throne of Weapons.

Another place to go for art in London is the Royal Academy and its summer exhibition - and back in 2014 it was British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare at the Royal Academy.

Ten years later, and Shonibare was a gorgeously recognisable artist, although some critics say he's simply doing the same thing.

Judge for yourself in a new BBC documentary: In My Own Words - Series 2: Yinka Shonibare - BBC iPlayer [and a comment about being an artist at 25:50]

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cornelia parker, artist

From the Science Museum we looked at how art and nature interact:

discover how we have questioned our relationship with society, our bodies, the environment and found patterns in nature, as we continue to interpret and explore the world around us.

Another way of looking at the world could be how we see sheds - those little huts in the garden where we leave and forget lots of stuff:

or perhaps you prefer your sheds to explode...

which takes us to a reconstructed barn

A good place to see art in London is the Royal Academy summer exhibition. 

There is some great art happening, including from Yinka Shonibare, artist - whose work, as with many artists, is interesting to be seen next to others...

Including Cornelia Parker, also at Tate Britain in London - and New Zealand's City Gallery reopening with a bang with a major Cornelia Parker exhibition.

Cornelia Parker's 'Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View’ (1991). SUPPLIED / Courtesy Tate Collection

These are brilliant ideas from Cornelia Parker - giving us Art from Destruction as seen in this recent video.

Finally in a new documentary from the BBC, In My Own Words, Cornelia Parker looks back over her extraordinary life and career.

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nigeria making an impact on america

Nigerians are doing well - especially in the United States:

... it is not just in music and entertainment that Nigerians are, for want of a better word, tearing up the dance floor. The runaway success of the country’s diaspora has been documented. For example, in the United States, Nigerian-Americans are among the most successful immigrant groups, topping the charts in a wide array of fields. According to the Washington-based Migration Policy Institute (MPI), Nigerians in the United States are the most educated immigrant group, with 61 percent holding at least a bachelor’s degree, “compared with 31 percent of the total foreign-born population and 32 percent of the US-born population.”  

This, however, has created The Nigerian Conundrum:

Accordingly, the Nigerian conundrum consists precisely in the discrepancy between the demonstrated success of Nigerians, resulting in an unmistakable cultural confidence, and the country’s notorious political sclerosis. Nigerian entertainers may be redefining the global soundscape, giving American entertainment a run for its money; yet, Nigeria as a country cannot seem to get out of its own way. Not only is it one of the world’s most corrupt countries, ranking 150 out of 180 countries in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2022, it is, perhaps deservedly, a global byword for dysfunction and infrastructural decay.

Nevertheless, despite its political troubles, culturally Nigeria makes a huge impact - including on the United States - with the Nigerian prom dresses that have the wow factor for US teenagers:

Anita Konneh,17, from Worcester in Massachusetts, ordered her dress from Keerah's Fashion Cave Photo: Tom Boakye

When Brianna made a TikTok video of herself in her African prom gown, she did not expect the reaction she got - it went viral and her post now has more than 1.1 million views. This reflects a growing interest that has driven demand for custom-made outfits with bold designs and unique embellishments. What began as a TikTok and Instagram trend - with people like Brianna flaunting their garments - has led to a booming business that links fashion designers in Africa to young people outside the continent.

The average price for an African-made prom dress ranges from $600 to $1,000 (£440 to £740), depending on the complexity of the design, fabric choice and added details. Custom luxury pieces can exceed $1,500. This may sound expensive but is much cheaper than having a garment custom made in the US - where the cost starts at around $3,500 and can go much higher depending on the designer and materials.

The BBC spoke to five fashion designers in Nigeria and Ghana who, in all, fulfilled more than 2,800 orders for prom dresses during the 2025 season, most of them bound for the US...

However, it's not all good news for the Nigerian economy: the US funding cuts have affected aid groups in Nigeria; when exporting to America under the new tariff regime, Nigeria now requires $80 Prepaid Duty each time; and Nigeria has been hit by US cuts to visa duration.

And yet, Nigeria tops South Africa as the Continent’s biggest economy - and culturally, the impact of Nigeria continues to grow, as Nigeria is the country that loves to overachieve.

And the cultural impact on the United States is particularly impressive, with Nigerian filmmakers at the Sundance film festival and Nigerian’s Afrobeat heavyweights at the Grammy awards.

Let's see how this develops!

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managed dystopia

The writer of 'Trainspotting' has just given The Interview - Celebrities: 9. Irvine Welsh: The Next Chapter - BBC iPlayer [See from 2:30 minutes, 7.30, 13:30 and 19:00 - and at 14:25 he talks about 'managing dystopia']

This is managed dystopia.

Or, from George Carlin - The American Dream.

Taking us from America to Russia to Ukraine, here's a piece by Paul Mason in the latest The New World

It started on the eve of independence day. In an hour-long phone call with Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin told the US president that Russia had played a major role in America’s war of independence, offered to send him a movie about traditional values, chatted about mutually beneficial business ventures… and then flatly insisted that “Russia would strive to achieve its goals” in Ukraine. That night Russian forces staged the biggest strike of the war so far, launching 539 long-range drones and seven ballistic missiles at Kyiv.

This is what's happening in Russia now, in its war on culture:

• Russia’s ‘guardian of traditional values’ How the Kremlin plans to sell Putin to voters in his fifth presidential campaign — Meduza
• ‘It could undermine the traditional family’ Insiders say the Kremlin is keeping an anti-domestic violence law in limbo on purpose. Here’s why. — Meduza
• Russia bans distribution permits for films that discredit ‘traditional values’ — Meduza
• ‘Thrown to the wolves’ How a Texas man moved his family to Russia to escape ‘DEI’ — and ended up on the front lines in Ukraine — Meduza

As predicted in science fiction:

• ‘I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe’: what Blade Runner 2049’s dystopia tells us about 2017 | Blade Runner 2049 | The Guardian
• Blade Runner 2049 review – a gigantic spectacle of pure hallucinatory craziness | Blade Runner 2049 | The Guardian

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what motivates children to learn english?

The latest E L Gazette looks at the latest research from the University of Cambridge:

A new study from Cambridge shows the diverse motivations young people have for learning English, brought to life through a series of drawings by primary school children from around the world.

Cambridge study: Children’s drawings highlight value of learning English - E L Gazette

With thanks to the E L Gazette, you can find out more about the study and what teachers think about the Kids Box course, with a link to more from Cambridge:

💡 Why do children want to learn English?

We asked Primary school children around the globe to show us what motivates them through their own drawings. Their creations show them chatting with friends and family, landing a great job, helping tourists with directions, and even dreaming of life in Paris! 🌍✨

The artwork, drawn by 6-11-year-olds from schools across Italy, Türkiye and Vietnam, has been used to inform a key study from Cambridge on the educational impact of our Kid’s Box New Generation course, a widely recognised course for young English learners. Find out more

Post | LinkedIn

Children’s artwork shows real-world impact of learning English, Cambridge Study

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to what extent does your class determine what you do with your life?

Class is a funny thing:

Jay Doubleyou: learning to use the appropriate register @ fawlty towers

Class is also a very serious thing:

Jay Doubleyou: america and class

Jay Doubleyou: class is the big issue in the united kingdom: part three

Jay Doubleyou: bad service is a class issue in the uk

To what extent, then, does class determine what you do with your life? And there's a lot of academic study on this:

How social class is reflected in our Psychology | BPS

The psychology of social class: How socioeconomic status impacts thought, feelings, and behaviour - PMC

If we look at how many working class people make a career in 'the arts' (painting, theatre, cinema, writing), then that's quite something:

Huge decline of working class people in the arts reflects fall in wider society | Culture | The Guardian

Working class creatives at ‘lowest level in a decade’ | Equity

Class inequality in the Creative Industries is rooted in unequal access to arts and cultural education - Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre

Nevertheless, some creative people do make it - and the story of one such painter has just been told on BBC radio:

BBC Sounds - The Secret Painter by Joe Tucker - Available Episodes

The story has really captured the art world:

The Secret Painter — Eric Tucker, the unknown artist compared to Lowry

The extraordinary story of the secret painter discovered in his eighties

The Secret Painter by Joe Tucker review – art for art’s sake | Autobiography and memoir | The Guardian

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japan in london

Japanese culture has been a fascination outside Japan: 

Jay Doubleyou: culture mix: japan

And Japanese taste too: 

Jay Doubleyou: umami taste

The UK and especially London is home to a large Asian diaspora: 

Jay Doubleyou: big british asian summer

London is full of wonderful things Japanese:

A Japanese Day Out in London | Blog | Travel Japan (Japan National Tourism Organization)

Japan House London – The Cultural Home of Japan in London

The UK’s Biggest Japanese Culture Event - HYPER JAPAN

Japanese Things To Do In London | The Clermont

And there is now a beautiful show on at one of London's biggest museums:

Announcing the 'Hiroshige: artist of the open road' exhibition | British Museum

A remarkable new exhibition at the British Museum will celebrate the life, work, and legacy of Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858), one of Japan's most popular and prolific artists. Hiroshige's thoughtful and engaging way of depicting landscape, nature and daily life in Japan captivated viewers in his own day, and he continues to influence and inspire. The first exhibition on Hiroshige in London for quarter of a century, and the first ever at the British Museum, Hiroshige: artist of the open road will present this major Japanese artist through his prints, paintings, books and sketches.

This is really beautiful:

Hiroshige: Artist of the Open Road review – ‘I could look forever at these passing moments in cosmic colours’ | Art and design | The Guardian

And here's a trip round the museum:

Hiroshige is one of Japan's most beloved artists. He captured the 'Floating World' in 19th Century Japan in the Edo period. This exhibition is the largest showing of Hiroshige prints in the UK for many years.

'Hiroshige: Artist of the Open Road' is The BIGGEST London Show of Hiroshige Works in a Generation! - YouTube

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the future is african

 How do we and how should we see Africa?

LANGUAGE:

The continent is part of the Anglosphere:

Jay Doubleyou: the english-speaking world: west africa

Jay Doubleyou: different african english accents

Jay Doubleyou: english is an african language

Jay Doubleyou: west african pidgin english

Nigeria is the third largest country when it comes to English speakers, after India and the USA, although the list on Wikipedia can be questioned...

List of countries by English-speaking population - Wikipedia

And arguably the largest English speaking city in the entire world is Lagos, Nigeria:

The largest city by population in Africa with close to 25 million people! Also, arguably the largest English speaking city in the entire... | Instagram

Here's a better list:

English Speaking Countries in Africa - WorldAtlas

CULTURE:

In that case, when learning English, we do not need to stick with the UK - but can read and listen to stuff and have conversations with people coming out of places such as Cameroon and Kenya:

Jay Doubleyou: "let’s not make english about british culture"

When it comes to music, there is so much coming out of Anglophone Africa:

Jay Doubleyou: the music of west africa

Yes, London is a cultural centre, but much of this is multicultural, with the African diaspora contributing considerably:

Jay Doubleyou: adventures in art at the british museum

Jay Doubleyou: shonibare - gorgeously recognisable artist

And as for writing, there are powerful African voices making up the 'canon':

Jay Doubleyou: english literature

POLITICS:

Europeans have made their mark in the continent of course - and some are only just realising their impact:

Jay Doubleyou: facing up to your imperial past: the belgians

And this might also involve 'paying back' for any gains and losses:

Jay Doubleyou: reparations

But Africa has not always been on the receiving end of violence and robbery - but might have something to teach the rest of the world:

Jay Doubleyou: non-western democratic traditions

Jay Doubleyou: non-western democratic traditions - part two

THE FUTURE IS AFRICAN

Maybe, then, Africa can be seen not as a victim but as a provider and innovator:

Myth 6: Africa needs our help - Global Justice Now Global Justice Now

Here's another list:

10 things Africa has given the world | Eliza Anyangwe | The Guardian

Here's real promise for the future:

How Africa can help drive global climate change solutions - ONE Data & Analysis

Including in sport:

Newly elected IOC President Kirsty Coventry celebrated on return home to Zimbabwe | AP News

View from Africa: how Kirsty Coventry will handle sport’s biggest job at the IOC | International Olympic Committee | The Guardian

We need to think of Africa as more than a place to extract stuff:

What does Africa offer to global world development apart from Natural Resources? - Quora

And this might well become a source of power:

Why Africa will become a prominent player in global geopolitics | World Economic Forum

The future is African:

The Future Is African | Council on Foreign Relations

6 numbers that prove the future is African | World Economic Forum

To finish:

Afrofuturism is a cultural aesthetic that combines science-fiction, history and fantasy to explore the African-American experience and aims to connect those from the black diaspora with their forgotten African ancestry

Afrofuturism | Tate

Afrofuturism | National Museum of African American History and Culture

Afrofuturism: Turning pain into possibility - YouTube

And:

Let's Talk About 'Black Panther' And Afrofuturism - YouTube

Black Panther and Afrofuturism - YouTube

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adventures in art at the british museum

The BBC radio series in conjunction with the British Museum threw up all sorts of exciting objects, each with their own fascinating back story:

BBC Radio 4 - A History of the World in 100 Objects - Downloads

Let's look at some of their possibilities:

Throne of Weapons

A History of the World in 100 ObjectsThe World of Our Making (1914 - 2010 AD)

BBC Radio 4 - A History of the World in 100 Objects, The World of Our Making (1914 - 2010 AD), Throne of Weapons

Which is a reminder of this artist:

Jay Doubleyou: shonibare - gorgeously recognisable artist

Becoming an Artist: Yinka Shonibare | Tate Kids - YouTube

Yinka Shonibare MBE: FABRIC--ATION - YouTube

...

Hokusai's The Great Wave

A History of the World in 100 ObjectsMass Production, Mass Persuasion (1780 - 1914 AD)

BBC Radio 4 - A History of the World in 100 Objects, Mass Production, Mass Persuasion (1780 - 1914 AD), Hokusai's The Great Wave

Which takes us to:

John Berger / Ways of Seeing , Episode 1 (1972) - YouTube

...

Early Victorian tea set

A History of the World in 100 ObjectsMass Production, Mass Persuasion (1780 - 1914 AD)

BBC Radio 4 - A History of the World in 100 Objects, Mass Production, Mass Persuasion (1780 - 1914 AD), Early Victorian tea set

Which is a reminder of this again:

Jay Doubleyou: teaching empire in british schools

And what museums are doing with their imperial treasures:

Returning the Benin Bronzes - YouTube

Including the British Museum:

Benin plaque - the Oba with Europeans

A History of the World in 100 ObjectsThe First Global Economy (1450 - 1600 AD)

BBC Radio 4 - A History of the World in 100 Objects, The First Global Economy (1450 - 1600 AD), Benin plaque - the Oba with Europeans

With another example from west Africa here:

Ife head

A History of the World in 100 ObjectsStatus Symbols (1200 - 1400 AD)

BBC Radio 4 - A History of the World in 100 Objects, Status Symbols (1200 - 1400 AD), Ife head

...

Finally, looking through the list, where would these objects take you?

BBC Radio 4 - A History of the World in 100 Objects - Downloads

Perhaps this?

Minoan Bull Leaper

A History of the World in 100 ObjectsThe Beginning of Science and Literature (1500 - 700 BC)

BBC Radio 4 - A History of the World in 100 Objects, The Beginning of Science and Literature (1500 - 700 BC), Minoan Bull Leaper

Which might finish here:

Picasso and the Minotaur: Why Was He So Obsessed?

Exposición - Picasso Minotauro - Picasso, Pablo (Pablo Ruiz Picasso)

exploring picasso by eyesight and muscle memory | ballpoint,… | Flickr

And here:

PICASSO DRAWING OF BULL - YouTube

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using design in the esol classroom

What is 'design'?

to make or draw plans for something that will be produced:
    Who designed your website?

to intend for a particular purpose:
    This dictionary is designed for people using English in a business situation.

the way in which something is planned and made:
    I don't like the design of this control panel.

DESIGN | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

Here's a useful framework:

Function & Form

Function relates to purpose. It answers the question, “why?” and defines the reasons you have to do something. Understanding function leads you to consider the necessary preconditions or assumptions for an activity and the desired outcomes. The 5 Whys is an excellent exercise for surfacing the function.

Form is the visible shape or configuration of something. It encompasses the methods and strategies. Form answers the questions of “what?” and “how?” After clarifying the function, form fills in the details and plan for how to realize the purpose.

Form or Function... - Everyday Design

For example:

Porsche Design staged by Hollywood - YouTube

Here's another approach:

Design Thinking is a term adapted from architecture and engineering and is often referred to as a “toolkit for innovation”. Its framework can be applied across a wide range of fields and its approach adapted to suit the needs of the user.

It involves 5 key stages – Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test. This approach is most effective when addressing problems that are unknown or ill-defined. In the language learning classroom design thinking can help bridge the gap between creative problem solving and structured learning. It gives teachers additional tools to build understanding and provide students with frameworks for critical thinking and problem solving.

Design Thinking in the ESL Classroom | by Rishma Hansil | Medium

And here are some more suggestions:

Design Thinking Activities in the ESL Classroom | Express Publishing

Teacher's Corner: A Story of Design Thinking in the Classroom | American English

With a video:

How Design Thinking can be applied in language teaching? | Ms. ESL

There are very broad areas to look at:

ESOL: Speaking About Art - The Courtauld

And:

Jay Doubleyou: advertising

Jay Doubleyou: architecture

Jay Doubleyou: dismaland from banksy

Jay Doubleyou: land art

And check out these pages in the search facility:

Jay Doubleyou: design

Finally, back to design:

A design presentation | LearnEnglish

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shonibare - gorgeously recognisable artist

The Serpentine Gallery shows some fabulous contemporary art:

Yinka Shonibare CBE: Suspended States - Serpentine Galleries

With the artist talking about their latest show on BBC radio:

Front Row - Yinka Shonibare, Sean Shibe, cinema and digital decay - Yinka Shonibare, Sean Shibe, cinema and digital decay - BBC Sounds

With more photos and examples here:

Yinka Shonibare Builds a Sanctuary of Safety at Serpentine - Ocula Advisory

Some reviewers think it's just the same as before:

The British-Nigerian artist’s first solo London show in more than two decades is full of his signature beautiful African fabrics subverting familiar colonial figures – just like the last one

Yinka Shonibare CBE: Suspended States review – gorgeously recognisable, but is that enough? | Yinka Shonibare | The Guardian

Other reviewers look at the politics:

Yinka Shonibare considers the tangled relationship between Africa and Europe at Serpentine South

Yinka Shonibare presents ‘Suspended States’ at Serpentine South | Wallpaper

Artist Yinka Shonibare has brought Winston Churchill down to size

Here he is ten years ago:

Jay Doubleyou: yinka shonibare - artist at the royal academy

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london has a new museum

A new museum is opening in London:

Dedicated to creative opportunity and its power to bring change. Two free cultural destinations – V&A East Storehouse and Museum – will open up the V&A collection for all, celebrate making in all its forms and create new possibilities for everyone.

V&A East · V&A

This is what a design magazine thinks:

We preview the V&A East Museum in London | Wallpaper

This is the actual website of the new museum:

V&A East

There's a lot going on - with a museums website looking at it all:

New look inside V&A East Storehouse as collection move begins

This week, the director talks to some teenagers about what he wants them to do - and he lets them handle some of the museum's artefacts:

Gus Casely-Hayford, director of V&A East, is on a mission to create a new kind of museum in the Olympic Park. He wants to attract a diverse audience of 16-25-year-olds, the kinds of young people least likely to be found in the great museums of South Kensington. Part of his plan is to take objects from the collection into schools and to tell their powerful stories. So we are with him in a school for students who have been excluded from other institutions as he opens the treasure chest... Gus also shares his own story of discovering art in books and then travelling to museums and galleries, as a terrified teenager, to encounter the real thing. A life-changing experience.

BBC Radio 3 - The Essay, A Museum in the Making, 11/03/2024

With a piece in the Radio Times to accompany the series:

A safe space - 5 Mar 2024 - Radio Times Magazine - Readly

Last year, we had a look at how the project was going:

V&A East's plans to shake up the art world - YouTube

Here's their first exhibition next year - with a video trailer:

The Music Is Black: A British Story - Exhibition at V&A East Museum · V&A

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'popular opera'

Can opera be popular?

THE MAGIC FLUTE:

Perhaps it depends on which opera:

The Magic Flute, ENO review: A tonic for the soul

This is what people think about it:

Mozart's The Magic Flute ǀ English National Opera - YouTube

What''s a 'foley artist'?

Meet The Foley Artist | The Magic Flute | ENO - YouTube

The Magic Flute | Buy Opera Tickets for 2023/24 | ENO

Foley (filmmaking) - Wikipedia

WEST SIDE STORY

Here's someone who took the opera and did something different - from twenty minutes in:

Howard Goodalls Twentieth Century Greats 3of4 Leonard Bernstein - YouTube

This is West Side Story:

West Side Story - Wikipedia

Which Spielberg filmed last year:

Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story" | Official Trailer | 20th Century Studios - YouTube

But here's the original from 1961:

West Side Story - Prologue - Official Full Number - 50th Anniversary (HD) - YouTube

West Side Story ' Dance at the Gym ' Mambo 日本語字幕 - YouTube

West Side Story - Cool (1961) HD - YouTube

It really is a 'great piece of art':

The Great ‘West Side Story’ Debate - The New York Times

Why West Side Story is a Masterpiece - YouTube

THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL:

But can anything like this become 'popular'?

Thomas Adès: The Exterminating Angel (recorded live at the Met) - YouTube

It's on in Paris at the moment:

The Exterminating Angel - Opera - Season 23/24 Programming - Opéra national de Paris

And had a fabulous season at the Met in New York:

The Exterminating Angel

Review: If You See One Opera This Year, Make It ‘The Exterminating Angel’ - The New York Times

The composer was inspired by the film:

The Exterminating Angel (1962) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p] - YouTube

'POPULAR OPERA':

Where to go for opera?

Five Best Operas for Beginners - The Operas You Should See First - Keep It Classical - YouTube

And in English?

Habanera from Bizet's Carmen ǀ 2020 Opera Season ǀ English National Opera - YouTube

Bizet - Carmen (sung in English) (ENO, 01.07.2015). Part II - YouTube

With subtitles!

Verdi's Don Carlo with English Subtitles (Alagna, Pieczonka, Maximova, Petean, Prestia) - YouTube

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how to counter propaganda/paranoia/conspiracy theories... 1: enjoy culture and the arts

Peter Pomerantsev, Professor at the Institute of Global Affairs at the London School of Economics, says the best way to challenge and counter the stream of lies and hate online is to read and listen to and watch any writing/books and movies/culture which is about humanity, openness and making choices:

Russian propaganda. How does it work and how can it be combated? - YouTube

For young people he would recommend Tolkien and Harry Potter.

Harry Potter is a humanist and thus J.K Rowling is one too | by Jessica Cote | Diary Of Fantastic Discoveries | Medium

Tolkien’s optimism about human nature: A lesson for our society today - World Youth Alliance

For adults there are always Ukrainian writers:

Serhiy Zhadan - Wikipedia

And his book of stories:

Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia | Serhiy Zhadan | London Review Bookshop

Also:

Vasyl Stus - Wikipedia

Thriving in Isolation and Beyond: The Empowering Poetry of Vasyl Stus | Los Angeles Review of Books

Here are a couple of TED Talks:

Lisa Bu: How books can open your mind | TED Talk

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The danger of a single story | TED Talk

Books are dangerous, are revolutionary:

The Power of Literature: How it Shapes Society and Culture | by Arda Π| ILLUMINATION | Medium

7 Books That Will Change How You See the World

Does reading fiction make us better people? - BBC Future

Umberto Eco had something to say about this:

Umberto Eco: 'People are tired of simple things. They want to be challenged' | Umberto Eco | The Guardian

Umberto Eco Taught the World How to Think About Conspiracies and Fascism

Conspiracy Theories and Literary Ethics: Umberto Eco, Danilo Kiš and The Protocols of Zion on JSTOR

Real literature is always about losers
... going on to ask Eco why he chose to tell the story from the point of view of a thwarted character.
“Because that’s literature,” said Eco. “Dostoevsky was writing about losers. The main character of The Iliad, Hector, is a loser. It’s very boring to talk about winners. The real literature always talks about losers. Madame Bovary is a loser. Julien Sorel is a loser. I am doing only the same job. Losers are more fascinating.
“Winners are stupid … because usually they win by chance.”

Umberto Eco: ‘Real literature is about losers’ | Umberto Eco | The Guardian

With more for later...

Facing disinformation: Five methods to counter conspiracy theories amid the Covid-19 pandemic

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solar punk!! now!!

The Solar Punk movement is taking off!

Solarpunk: An Intriguing, Optimistic Subculture on the Rise - TimesNext

But what is it all about?

Here's a very good exploration of SolarPunk basics:

What is SolarPunk? - YouTube

You might already be solar punk!!

10 Signs You May Be a Solarpunk - YouTube

The Solarpunk Scene – Think. Feel. Solarpunk

Here are some further personal takes on it:

Going solar · Gabe Stein

Practical Solarpunk on Tumblr

There are several different ways of seeing it:

Here we look at architect Luc Schuiten:

Inside the Imaginarium of a Solarpunk Architect

With more visions here:

Solarpunk: Visions of a just, nature-positive world

And this is from a small town in England:

Solarpunk Snippets - Sidmouth Solarpunk

We have the technology we need - Sidmouth Solarpunk

Douglas Adams: three rules on technology - Sidmouth Solarpunk

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understanding china

Ai Weiwei has a new exhibition in London: Ai Weiwei's first design-focused exhibition to showcase the world's largest Lego artwork in London - YouTube and Dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei launches new London show - Hong Kong Free Press HKFP

Here he is back in China from some years ago: Jay Doubleyou: art and Ai Weiwei – Sunflower Seeds | Artist Interview | Tate - YouTube

The Chinese government has a very alternative view of itself: Jay Doubleyou: china, the bbc and disinformation

Including pushing one language for the whole country: Jay Doubleyou: china, mandarin and domestic dominance

And celebrating the big man himself: Jay Doubleyou: karl marx at 200

But young Chinese people are not really buying into it: Jay Doubleyou: why young chinese are 'lying flat'

Why does the West find some aspects of the current set-up in China so attractive? Jay Doubleyou: panic in the west over educational achievements in the far east

Why is the West seemingly happy to copy Chinese social and political trends? Jay Doubleyou: political satire on film and Black Mirror S03E01 Airport scene - YouTube

Why is the Chinese government so 'anti-Western'? It's quite understandable: Jay Doubleyou: the great divergence and Jay Doubleyou: is the west better than the rest?

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