The UK is signing on to a half-century old provision from the Hague convention’s rules of war which allows for the protection of cultural treasures from marauding armies. British politicians had always dismissed the guidelines, which call for labeling specific works of great cultural or artistic significance with a blue shield, but reconsidered after the 2003 looting of Baghdad’s museum in the wake of the American invasion. Now the government is launching a consultation process to determine the works of art that should be selected for the special treatment.
Tag: 09.07.05
Folk Rock’s Closet Opera Fan
Singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright has become a darling of the indie-rock scene over the past few years, renowned for his poetic lyrics and the “plaintive vibrato” of his voice. But Wainwright’s musical tastes might surprise most of his fans: he’s a major opera buff, a serious fanatic “who can trace the seamless structure of the banquet scene from Verdi’s Macbeth and discuss the subtleties of Gluck’s lesser-known Armide.” And don’t think Rufus’s obsession with the music of Europe’s cultural elite sat well with his ’60s-era folksinger parents, either…
Bristol’s Arnolfini Reopens
“The burgeoning reputation of Bristol as a buzzing centre for cutting-edge contemporary culture took another leap forward when the doors of Arnolfini, its modern arts centre reopened yesterday. After a two-year refurbishment, the warren of corridors and rather cramped galleries at the converted 19th-century tea warehouse have gone, replaced by wide open, inviting white spaces. The re-birth of Arnolfini is also a further boost for the city’s waterside area, which has undergone a transformation in recent years into a major tourist destination.”