Latest news with #Encounters
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
National WWI Museum opens exhibit showcasing personal accounts of war
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The National WWI Museum and Memorial's newest exhibit opens Friday in Kansas City. The new exhibit, titled 'Encounters', showcases various narratives of the Great War using state-of-the-art visual storytelling, the museum says. 'Encounters' will share first-person accounts of 16 different soldiers and individuals involved in the war using their diaries, letters and photos. Joe's Blog: Wet-ish weekend ahead (FRI-5/23) According to the museum, the visuals and accounts include: Allied and Central Power soldiers on the Western Front and in submarines. British and colonial Indian soldiers contemplating death and the futility of war. Women working in factories in support of the war effort. Dissenters who were arrested and tried for protesting the war. 'Encounters' took three years to complete in a process of 'reinvigorating' to museum and memorial, the museum said in a news release. The new additions feature a new lower level and open storage center, updates to the main gallery, including 14 new interactive screens, three new films, new lighting and effects, updated trenches and a realistic replica field hospital. This weekend in honor of Memorial Day, admission will be free for active-duty and veterans. The public will receive half-price admission as well. For more information on the WWI Museum and Memorial, its new features and events held at the museum, click . Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Star
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Encounters festival returns to celebrate documentaries that challenge power and promote change
The Encounters South African International Documentary Festival is making a highly anticipated return to Cape Town and Johannesburg from June 19 to 29, showcasing an impressive selection of over 60 documentaries from more than 40 countries. Marking its 27th edition, festival manager Tarha McKenzie says the festival continues to be a vital platform for film-makers and audiences, providing a platform for stories that challenge authority, champion social justice, and explore the complexities of the human experience. McKenzie emphasised the unique strength of Encounters stating, 'Its strength lies in not imposing a fixed theme, but rather in allowing the themes to emerge organically from the films selected. In this way, the festival keeps its finger on the pulse, attuned to global trends and urgent contemporary issues. This year's compelling programme reveals recurring threads of memory, trauma, and identity; shaped by the stark realities of the present and the many ways we attempt to make sense of them. The programme interrogates the role of art as a force for impact, and knowledge as a form of resistance. They give voice to agency; stories that rise, rebel, and challenge power. Through these narratives, we don't merely observe the world; we feel it, question it, and reimagine our place within.' She also explains that film-makers featured in this year's lineup tackle formidable subjects, while also shedding light on disruptors standing against femicide, defending indigenous territories, and challenging corporate giants. McKenzie further articulated the urgency for spaces like Encounters, particularly in light of increasing censorship worldwide: 'The inclusion of documentaries from over 40 countries at Encounters is a powerful testament to the festival's relevance on the global stage. It speaks not only to the diversity of stories being told, but also to the vital need for platforms like Encounters; spaces that prioritise dialogue, inclusivity, and freedom of expression. In a world where censorship is on the rise, festivals like this are more essential than ever. They must be protected and nurtured, as spaces where voices can be heard, perspectives can meet, and critical conversations can thrive. Diverse stories from around the world reveal our shared struggles and histories, reinforcing the documentary genre's power to highlight universal themes,' she noted. The festival has also placed a strong emphasis on outreach, with initiatives designed to expose communities to the transformative power of documentary storytelling. McKenzie reflected, 'It's this grassroots impact that makes my work at Encounters truly meaningful.' One of the notable events shared is the festival's Iliso Lethu Symposium, focusing on the Pan-African non-fiction landscape, which premiered to resounding success last year, further enhancing its mission to celebrate African voices through cinema. 'This year, we rise! With a sharp eye and a bold heart, we bring the finest in non-fiction; stories that speak, stir, and stand tall,' said McKenzie, inviting audiences to engage with films that usher in a deeper understanding of the complexities of modern life. [email protected] Saturday Star
Forbes
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
New Sculpture Exhibition Opens At Home Of Britain's First Prime Minister
Stephen Cox, Gilgamesh & Enkidu, 2024 PETE HUGGINS Myth, a major new exhibition by the acclaimed British sculptor, Stephen Cox has opened in Norfolk across the park, gardens and interiors of Houghton Hall and runs to 28 September 2025. The annual sculpture exhibitions at Houghton are always awe inspiring partly because of their setting at one of the UK's most magnificent stately homes. This year's exhibition represents the largest and most comprehensive group of work by Stephen Cox ever shown. Spanning over 40 years, it includes work conceived and produced all over the world from India to Egypt, Italy and the UK. Stephen Cox, Dreadnought_ Problems of History, the Search for the Hidden Stone, 2003, and Chrysalis, 1989-91 PETE HUGGINS There are 20 sculptures in marble and stone dotted around the expansive grounds, while smaller works are in the State Rooms on the first floor of the house, where William Kent's exuberant decorative scheme has hardly changed since it was created in the early 18th century. A modern gallery space in the South wing of the house shows a group of works on paper, alongside a large marble and porphyry sculpture, Shrine, which was created for the celebrated Encounters exhibition at the National Gallery in 2000. Stephen Cox, Gemini, 2008 PETE HUGGINS Stephen Cox is widely regarded as one of the leading British sculptors of his generation, renowned for his large-scale stone works. His art has gained international recognition, with major exhibitions at institutions such as MoMA in New York, the National Gallery, and Tate Britain in London. Stephen Cox's works are carved in the rarest, hardest and heaviest of stones and marbles. He has also worked in the great Christian tradition of stone carving, creating a Verde Aosta marble altar for Canterbury Cathedral, as well as a number of smaller sculptures evoking the martyrdom of the saints. Stephen Cox's sculptures are held in numerous private and public collections worldwide, with significant commissions completed in the UK, India, and Egypt. In 2006, he was elected a Royal Academician. An installation titled, 'Interior Space: Khafre' by artist Stephen Cox, on display at the Great Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt. Getty Images Working with traditional carving methods, Cox has shaped materials like marble, alabaster, and porphyry. Notably, he became the first artist in centuries to access the historic Imperial Porphyry Quarries in Egypt's Eastern Mountains. Two of Cox's greatest works in Imperial Porphyry are now on permanent display outside the Cairo Opera House. But some other artworks that resulted from Cox's encounter with Egypt including some of the largest, heaviest sculptures have been transported to Houghton for this exhibition, including Interior Space on the front lawn of the house. Houghton Hall, constructed in 1722 as a residence for Britain's first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole is one of the finest examples of Palladian architecture in England. Nestled in the Norfolk countryside, the house and its expansive grounds are a destination in their own house passed to the Cholmondeley family through marriage in 1797 and is still lived in by the family. Tony Cragg, Mean Average, fiberglass, 2018 at Houghton Hall, Norfolk Pete Huggins Since 1976, the estate has welcomed visitors each summer, showcasing both its historic charm and artistic legacy. Stephen Cox is the tenth artist to exhibit at Houghton, joining a prestigious lineup that includes Antony Gormley (2024), Sean Scully (2023), Chris Levine and Tony Cragg (2021), Anish Kapoor (2020), Henry Moore (2019), Damien Hirst (2018), Richard Long (2017), and James Turrell (2015). Several works from these exhibitions have become permanent fixtures on the estate. Chris Levine, 528 Hz Love Frequency at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, October 2021 Pete Huggins Houghton has a storied relationship with the art world, once housing one of the most renowned private collections globally. Assembled by Robert Walpole, the collection featured Roman antiquities and masterpieces by Da Vinci, Van Dyck, Rubens and Rembrandt. In the 18th century, these treasures were sold to Catherine the Great, and today over 120 pieces reside in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. Stephen Cox, Myth at Houghton Hall Norfolk, UK. Until 28 September 2025. Tickets: Adults £22 Students £10 Under 18s free.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
National WWI Museum to debut new exhibit during Memorial Day weekend
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After three years of construction projects, the National World War I Museum and Memorial announced that it is opening a new main gallery exhibit on Memorial Day weekend. The museum said the new exhibit, 'Encounters,' uses diary entries, letters and photos to share first-person accounts of individuals who lived through World War I. Big Slick announces first wave of celebrity guests expected to be in KC Through visual storytelling, guests will meet 16 people who lived through the war, including: Allied and Central Power combat soldiers who lived through the Western Front and patrolled the seas in submarines British colonial Indian soldiers who contemplated death and rebelled against the war Women who worked in munitions factories to support the war effort Dissenters who were arrested and tried for protesting involvement in the war 'The incredible stories showcased in Encounters bring to life those who lived during the Great War in a way that's never been experienced before,' Matthew Naylor, museum CEO and president, said in a statement. 'Encounters invites our guests to hear and see real, first-hand narratives of not just the soldier, but the nurse, child, and others who were impacted by global conflict. We hope these intimate encounters with 16 individuals are both moving and thought-provoking for visitors.' 'Encounters' is located in the west gallery, next to 'The Epilogue,' and is included for those who purchase a general admission ticket. It opens to the public on May 23. LIST: Kansas City-area lakes, parks for hiking this spring Guests will also see other additions and improvements that have been made as part of the final phase of the main gallery construction, including 14 new interactive screens, three new films, new lighting and special effects, updated trenches, and a replica field hospital. Additionally, during Memorial Day weekend, May 23-26, the museum will offer free admission for active-duty military members and veterans, including spouses and dependents with valid ID. Half-price admission will be offered to the public. For tickets and more information, . Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Experience WWI like never before in this upcoming virtual exhibit
The National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri, is getting a facelift. Since 2023, the Museum and Memorial 'has been carrying out a multi-year upgrade plan, the most expansive changes to the buildings and grounds since opening in 2006,' according to its landing page. The modifications, the announcement continued, 'will not only see upgrades in technology to tell new and interesting narratives from WWI, they will create a richer and more immersive visitor experience.' Opening over Memorial Day weekend, the museum's latest exhibit, 'Encounters,' will take viewers through the lives of 16 individuals that include: Allied and Central Power combat soldiers; British colonial Indian soldiers; women working in munitions factories; and dissenters arrested and tried for anti-war stances. Crafted from diaries, letters and photos, 'Encounters' includes state-of-the-art media displays that will feature 1.25 mm Pixel Pitch LED Display technology from Nanolumens — the first installation of its kind in a museum in the U.S. The museum aims for 'Encounters' to go beyond the simple showcasing of artifacts and historical data. Delving into more than troop movements and the number of rivets on a Sopwith Triplane, the installation aims to fully engage its visitors visually and audibly on 'a deeply emotional level, focusing on the human side of the war through the stories of individuals who lived it,' according to a museum press release. This isn't the museum's first foray into immersing cutting edge technology and meshing it with the past. In 2021, the National WWI Museum debuted its impressive virtual reality experience, 'War Remains,' which allowed visitors to take a trip through time to the battlefields of World War I. The initiative was designed for viewers to feel — as much as possible — the true trench experience. 'We wanted to simulate what it was like to lose your hearing to an explosion,' director Brandon Oldenburg told Military Times in 2021. 'Skywalker sound does an amazing job of putting ringing in your ears. You feel it, but you can't hear it. … I think it makes a lasting memory of what it was like even though it is not even coming close to the real thing. You can walk out alive [and] unscathed.' Now, the museum is once again leading the way when it comes to what museums of the present can and should be, with 'stations' boasting recreated virtual scenes from the front lines, the home front and military hospitals replete with interactive soundscape technology found in just one other space in the U.S. — the Las Vegas Sphere. According to the press release, 'the spatial audio used in this exhibit creates a 360-degree sound environment, making it feel as if the voices, sounds, and stories are unfolding around visitors in real time.' Despite more than a century separating museum-goers from the war's end, the lives of the ordinary man and woman caught up in this titanic clash will once again be seen — and felt — like never before. Renovations at the National WWI Museum and Memorial will continue through 2025. 'Encounters' opens Memorial Day weekend, 2025.
