Jeremy Deller - Joy in People

BBC2's The Culture Show this week featured the work of Turner Prize winner Jeremy Deller, who is about to have a major exhibition at the Hayward Gallery called 'Joy in People'. Deller is not a conventional artist, more an organiser of events. He has been involved in re-enactments of battles between striking miners and the police, brass bands playing acid house anthems and a carnival in Manchester celebrating the street culture of the city. The common theme in his work is the love of popular culture and community. Visit his website to find out more about this fascinating artist.

Piecing together Guernica

Pablo Picasso's monochrome painting of the 1937 bombing of the town of Guernica remains one of his more famous works. The tapestry version sits at the UN, acting as a powerful visual statement against the horrors of war. But there is much meaning beneath this famous work, writes Picasso expert Gijs van Hensbergen.

For a detailed visual analysis of the symbolic meanings present in this famous painting visit BBC News Magazine.

Who on Earth are we?

Who on Earth are we? is a BBC series about culture and how it affects us. It explores some of the major differences between cultures and looks at what happens when people from different cultures meet and communicate. The series is presented by Marc Beeby.

This 12 part series is well worth discovering in audio or written formats. It will provide useful examples for the exam and coursework assignments, it will also deepen your understanding of the key issues and debates.

Access the series below:

Part 1

In this first episode of Who on Earth are we? Marc Beeby introduces the topic of culture and inter-cultural communication. We hear some anecdotes relating to cross-cultural surprises and discover that the more we learn about other cultures, the more we learn about ourselves.

Part 2

What is culture? In this programme Marc Beeby tries to answer this question and discover just why culture is so difficult to define and talk about.

Britain in a Day

On Saturday November 12th, you can get involved in a project that seeks to represent 'Britain in a Day'. You are asked to take a camera with you, whatever you are up to, and film. To find out more go to the project website.

The Culture Show

Architecture, art, TV, films, theatre, music and much more are featured on The Culture Show on BBC2. It's back on for the next few weeks, so catch it on iplayer. You can also look at clips from the last few years by visiting the archive (see 'Useful Blogs and Websites')

Teenage Kicks: The Search for Sophistication

Watch the BBC4 documentary 'Teenage Kicks: The Search For Sophistication' here on BBCiPlayer for an interesting examination of how we construct our identities, partake in rituals and express aspects of individual personality through the products we consume. Celebrities and others discuss their teenage years and the cultural practices they adopted due to the influence of popular culture and advertised products.

TV review: Fry's Planet Word

Watch Fry's Planet Word (BBC2, Sunday) an examination of language and its evolution which can support your knowledge of NVC and other aspects of Communication & Culture. For instance it's interesting that when Fry is talking to a deaf German woman, he slows down slightly, spells it out, adopts the tiniest hint of an accent in that way we do with people who have a different first language, meeting them halfway. But he's talking to her though an interpreter, who's American! Read a review of this current programme on The Guardian site here or go to BBCiplayer to see last Sundays' show.

Tattoos - any regrets?

In this article from the BBC website, visitors to the London Tattoo Convention are asked if they have any regrets. Lucy Townsend test runs a fake tattoo but finds she isn't ready for the real thing.

Historic Castle to keep graffiti?

The Earl of Glasgow, who owns Kelburn Castle, has sought permission from Historic Scotland to keep the graffiti that covers part of the building. Originally the images were only supposed to be in place for 3 years, but the Earl is now arguing that the artworks have been so popular that they should be allowed to stay. Read more on the BBC News website.

The Role of Social Networking

There have been many comments and theories about role that social networking had in the riots and their aftermath. Here are some links that take a variety of viewpoints.
The Guardian reports on David Cameron's speech to Parliament in response to the riots, where he calls for a clampdown on social media sites.
In contrast, this article from 'The E word' reports how the Manchester Police used Twitter and Facebook to their advantage during the course of the unrest. This report, also in The Guardian tells the story of a 21 year old club DJ who cycled for hours around Bristol giving up to date and accurate information about the riots in his home city. Also on the BBC website is an article about Andrew Bayles' photograph of the 'Broom Army' volunteers who cleaned up after the riots.
The story of 89 year old barber Aaron Biber and the money raised to help him after his shop was trashed, is told on the blog 'Keep Aaron Cutting'.
DeLoot London is a website set up to encourage people to shop at and support those independent shops that were looted during the riots.

Competing Arguments to explain the causes of the riots

The very useful article on the BBC website brings together many comments from varying sources on the underlying causes of the riots, from consumerism to spending cuts and a lot more.

This post by Jonathan Maunder on the 'Pluto Press' blog, criticises the media's response in general. It discusses the idea of 'structural' and 'subjective' violence.