24th June 2013 New York, USA
I was at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, better known as MoMA, immersed in a discussion with a dozen others about what the Ghanaian artist’s piece titled “Bleeding Takari II” was made from and what it was meant to represent. I felt like I had an upper hand on the rest of the group […]
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8th November 2012
The speaker is a Turkish writer born in France. In addition to Turkey she has lived in many other countries, including the United Kingdom. She reads from her latest novel, The Honour; talks about her writing; then answers questions on subjects ranging from comparisons between Ottoman and modern Turkish literature, through writing techniques, to child-rearing […]
29th October 2012 Washington DC, USA
Some people have garden gnomes, but here at the British Embassy in Washington, we’ve gone one better. Last Thursday we inaugurated a new sculpture on the lawn of the Ambassador’s Residence: ‘Extend’ , a remarkable work lent to us by one of Britain’s most highly-regarded sculptors, Turner Prize winner Antony Gormley. The sculptor himself was […]
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20th July 2012 Nairobi, Kenya
And so to Hargeisa for the Hargeisa International Book Fair, an inspiring gathering of artists, authors, poets and more. Established by Jama Musse Jama and organized by the wonderful Ayan Mahamoud and her excellent team, the Book Fair is now in its fifth year. Hargeisa may have no theatre, no permanent library and no cinema, […]
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6th June 2012 USA
Over this past weekend Royal fanfare and celebrations in the UK mark the 60th Anniversary of the reign of Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee offers us a chance to reflect on days gone by, on an era that has taken us from the insides of a telephone booth requiring pockets […]
18th May 2012
A feast of British art is heading for Kyiv. First up is a major new exhibition of sculptor Anish Kapoor. Kapoor has been one of my favourite artists since I saw his 1991 Turner Prize-winning exhibit at the old Tate Gallery (this was before the Tate Modern opened in 2000). Kapoor also has a work, called […]
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24th April 2012 Washington DC, USA
The following is a guest blog from Bradley Keelor. Brad is a Senior Science and Innovation Policy Advisor at the British Embassy in Washington. It was recently World Creativity and Innovation Week. This was started by a Canadian anthropologist in 2001 as a way to commemorate the birthday of Leonardo Da Vinci and generally celebrate […]
17th April 2012 Washington DC, USA
Before I continue on my theme of how GREAT Britain is this year, I’d like to give a shout out to the 100 Days to Go event coming up tomorrow at American University. All afternoon we will strive to go ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger’ than our fellow Embassy (and previous Olympic Host) competitors in the “Embassy […]
13th February 2012 Washington DC, USA
If the first two months are any indication, 2012 is shaping up to be a truly GREAT year for the UK. At the Golden Globes back in January, British shows and performers brought home three awards, including Best Miniseries for the smash hit Downton Abbey. Last night’s GRAMMYs kept the momentum rolling. The one and […]
29th December 2011
One of my favourite events in Kyiv is the BBC Book of the Year Award, sponsored by the BBC Ukrainian Service. I’ve presented the winner with the prize for the last four years, including in 2010 and this year — you can see a report on the prize, including details of the shortlist and the […]