Events | 2009.09.17
Hugh Muir's diary
Does money talk in the world of architecture? We might be about to find out
Judging arts prizes can be hard at the best of times, so some sympathy if you will for the organisers of architecture\'s Stirling prize. Lacking the usual £20,000 winner\'s fund for this year\'s award, the Royal Institute of British Architects was bailed out when Marco Goldschmied , one of the architects of the Pompidou Centre in Paris, stumped up. But his decision to link the prize with a donation for the same amount to Amnesty International rather complicates things. Goldschmied believes architects "should do what we can to remove oppression and injustice in the world". But if his patronage continues, where will that leave the Stirling ambitions of perhaps the two biggest names in British architecture today: Foster & Partners, which has already won the gong twice, and serial nominee Zaha Hadid ? In May they were named in a Human Rights Watch report criticising alleged abuses of migrant workers on construction sites in Abu Dhabi, where museums they designed are being developed. Both say they also support improved conditions for migrant workers. Will that satisfy Goldschmied? He also has "history" with one of the contenders for this year\'s prize. His former partner Richard Rogers has two buildings on the shortlist, and could well win. Given the two men broke up amid acrimony with Goldschmied threatening to sue Rogers and eventually taking control of the firm\'s studio buildings, the prospect of the peer receiving a £20,000 cheque from Goldschmied is, well, something to look forward to.
Panic at the London Evening Standard yesterday where the theatre critic Henry Hitchings filed his review of Lolita at the National Theatre, only to learn that no one at HQ could locate his copy. The panic starts early there – 5am – with production staff looking at the clock and imploring him to file again. Why couldn\'t he communicate with them. No one could understand it. Enter a hero computer boffin. The firewall, he explained, was rejecting the word Lolita. So Hitchings had to re-file substituting Lolita throughout with the less troublesome "Fishfingers". Relieved production staff re-inserted all the Lolitas at the other end.
Following the conviction of the men who would blow up airplanes, might now be a time to mention the headline event at the York Food Festival on 25 September? It celebrates "incredible flavours to be found in one small area of Yorkshire", the publicists tell us. "The French term for such a region, a terroir , is highly appropriate for a meal where all the major ingredients come from within a few miles of each other." That\'s why they are calling it "Festival sponsored Terroirism". It\'s funny, apparently.
For all the links between Sir Alex Ferguson and the Labour party, Manchester United\'s cathedral of soccer is the place to be next month if you\'re a Tory. Courtesy of Conservative Intelligence, there is a tour of the Old Trafford museum including the club\'s silverware collection and team dugout. That\'s followed by a private briefing on what to expect from Tory conference "for Conservative Intelligence subscribers only". Then a champagne reception on the balcony of Old Trafford, an event with up to "100 Tory MPs, candidates, party insiders, thought leaders and journalists". Then a two-course dinner. But trim all expectations, for Conservative Intelligence says its limited function is "Not Access. Not lobbying. Just intelligence". Touch the hem of a few garments. That\'s it.
Finally, 16 months into the Boris Johnson era in London, can we truthfully say that he has been a breath of fresh air? This was Boris on 6 September, talking to the Times about his daily cycle. "It is the wind, the breeze that whistles through your hair and maintains a pleasant temperature, even on the hottest day. That\'s the secret of cycling without sweating. That\'s how I avoid the labrador smell that goes with a perspiration-drenched suit. And if I am wrong on this point, everyone in my office is far too polite to say so." This was Kulveer Ranger , his transport director, talking in June about the "issue" of the mayor. "We\'re trying to encourage Boris to take showers." High office indeed. Yuk!
For more information, please visit
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/[...]son-cycling-goldschmied-rogers
