Culture

Sean Baker: Hope Revives on the Margins for American Cinema
Sean Baker: Hope Revives on the Margins for American Cinema

Director Sean Baker embodies the renewal of American independent filmmaking on the fringes of the cinema industry, ever since the Cannes Film Festival awarded him a Palme d’Or, a kind of life-affirming triumph. "I will never film in a studio, but always on real locations," declared this devotee of cinéma vérité in Cannes, who crafts films ...

Phil Lesh, Grateful Dead Bassist and Innovator, Dies at 84
Phil Lesh, Grateful Dead Bassist and Innovator, Dies at 84

Phil Lesh, an innovative bassist and founding member of The Grateful Dead, passed away Friday at the age of 84, according to a statement on his Instagram account. For over three decades, Lesh, a classically trained musician, shared a deep musical partnership with Grateful Dead icon Jerry Garcia, helping create the band’s unique psychedelic ...

Lisbon's Trams: A Charm Disrupted by Overtourism
Lisbon's Trams: A Charm Disrupted by Overtourism

In the winding streets of Lisbon, the screeching of the small yellow trams paints a picturesque tableau of the Portuguese capital. Every morning, at Martim Moniz Square, tourists and locals flock to the legendary tram number 28, whose route through the city’s hills offers a unique glimpse into Lisbon's ancient charm. However, this popularity ...

Women Revitalize and Redefine Traditional English Morris Dancing
Women Revitalize and Redefine Traditional English Morris Dancing

Rain might be falling outside on the promenade in the English seaside resort of Blackpool but the inside of the Tower Ballroom - billed as "the UK's most spectacular" - is bathed in light, sequins, pompoms and music. Dozens of women and girls are warming up before the end-of-season Carnival Morris dancing championships, which combines traditional ...

Rare Typescript of ‘The Little Prince’ Set for Auction in UAE
Rare Typescript of ‘The Little Prince’ Set for Auction in UAE

A specialist London bookstore is offering a rare piece of literary history: an original typescript of Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince, featuring the author’s handwritten corrections and revisions. This unique treasure will be sold at the Abu Dhabi Art Fair 2024, with an expected price of at least $1.25 million. The typescript, ...

Laurent Schwarz, Three Years Old, the New Painting Prodigy
Laurent Schwarz, Three Years Old, the New Painting Prodigy

Laurent Schwarz, only three, has quickly risen to fame on Instagram and within the art world, despite still being in diapers. Some media outlets have already dubbed him the "mini-Picasso." In a corner of their family home in Neubeuern, Bavaria, his parents have set up a small studio where this young German talent paints large abstract and ...

Paris Games Week Expands Beyond Gaming to Embrace Pop Culture
Paris Games Week Expands Beyond Gaming to Embrace Pop Culture

France's largest video game convention, Paris Games Week, which opened its doors Wednesday and runs until Sunday in the French capital, now aspires to become an ambassador of pop culture. It's also a way to distance itself from the difficulties the sector is facing. Starting at 9:00 AM (7 AM GMT), the first visitors flocked to the publishers' ...

 Artists in Revolt: AI Takes Over Our Work!
Artists in Revolt: AI Takes Over Our Work!

More than 11,500 artists, including well-known figures such as Thom Yorke from Radiohead, Björn Ulvaeus from ABBA, and Oscar-winning actress Julianne Moore, have signed a petition published on Tuesday. This initiative aims to raise public awareness about the growing use of their works to train artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. The ...

Baalbeck, Tyre: Our Archaeological Jewels at Risk?
Baalbeck, Tyre: Our Archaeological Jewels at Risk?

Listed as a World Heritage site since 1984, the complex of Roman temples in Baalbeck is one of the most impressive archaeological sites in the world. With its monumental colonnades and gigantic sanctuaries dedicated to Jupiter, Bacchus, and Venus, it stands as a testament to the grandeur of Roman architecture at its peak. But today, this jewel is ...

‘An Inner Cataclysm’: The Ordeal of Survivors of Attacks and Wars
‘An Inner Cataclysm’: The Ordeal of Survivors of Attacks and Wars

Simon Fieschi, former webmaster of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, was found dead on Thursday, October 17, 2024. The causes of his death remain unknown. He had been critically injured during the attack on January 7, 2015, in Paris.  His death brings back into focus the heavy psychological toll paid by survivors of attacks or wars, ...

Marie-Antoinette’s Historic Bracelet Presented in New York
Marie-Antoinette’s Historic Bracelet Presented in New York

Worn by Marie-Antoinette, the famous Queen of France, the bracelet from the world’s oldest jeweler is now exhibited in New York, symbolizing their ambition to expand their presence in this international luxury hub, despite a slowing global market. This unique piece, composed of seven antique cameos mounted on a bracelet adorned with floral ...

Rare Tintin Comic Albums Set for Auction in Paris
Rare Tintin Comic Albums Set for Auction in Paris

A collection of rare Tintin comic albums is going under the hammer in Paris on Wednesday, many signed by cartoonist Hergé, who once wrote, “Tintin is just another version of me” on one of the flyleaves. Among the 75 graphic novels is a one-of-a-kind copy of Tintin in America, first published in 1932, which has an estimated value of ...