Mourning the many, as many

Tomorrow, Good Friday, Christians darken their churches to mourn the crucifixion of their almighty, Jesus Christ. This year, so far, we have prayed goodbye to several other idols, famed and venerated for their creative accomplishments. Now, Europe is head-bowed for the everyday people torn by terror in Brussels. What are the best ways to aesthetically represent this mourning together? News reportage, arguably, captures the  spirit of a collective …

The Art of the Political Wife

Political wives may be easy pickings for a joke or two in the press but the death last week of Nancy Reagan, the recent new series release of the House of Cards on Netflix, and the high profile campaigning of Mrs Clinton in the US, give us a real reason to look at the role of the spouse …

Love across the ages

Big age-gap relationships are in the news again this week. Last weekend saw the seemingly rather happy nuptials between Jerry Hall and Rupert Murdoch (a 25 year gap; he's 84, she's 59). Whilst Cheryl Fernandez-Versini and Liam Payne (10 year gap, she's 32, he's 22) are feeding a frenzy of social media gossip, saucy style. Celebritydom has a fair sprinkling of  …

What the Oscars tell us, about us

The Oscars; are crucial news, I'm sure you know.  The early part of this week's media reported little else. We get invited to view (though we'll never be allowed in) a big ol' glittery TV show. It takes hours to show us not a lot. But the hosts do their best to make us  feel welcomed, as we watch the Western world's best actors, buffed and booted and looking …

Watch. Listen. Read. March

Watch: Bolshoi Babylon - BBC iplayer.  An enthralling documentary revealing the extraordinary upheavals and backstage skulduggery at the world class Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow.  A beautiful re-construction of the personal and political rivalry that led up to that infamous acid attack on the Bolshoi director, Sergei Filin, with access to most of the key players. Review Listen: Riot Girls - BBC player. A …