Latest news with #MakingEgypt
CairoScene
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Azza Fahmy Eye Of Horus Bustier On Display at the Young V&A in London
Fahmy's 2023 collaboration with Balmain is now enshrined in the London art museum as part of the 'Making Egypt' exhibition. May 05, 2025 The Eye of Horus Bustier, designed by Azza Fahmy in collaboration with Balmain for their 2023 Resort Collection, is now on display at the Young Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The piece is being exhibited as part of the 'Making Egypt' exhibition which explores the enduring creativity of Ancient Egypt on the modern art, design, and cultural landscape. Azza Fahmy's golden Eye of Horus takes its form from the Ancient Egyptian symbol of protection. Shaped like modern armour, and completed with a clasp on the back which reads the Ancient Egyptian hieroglyph for protection, this piece embodies the transhistorical dialogue of the exhibition. Founded in 1969, Azza Fahmy has carved out a global presence as a brand which translates Egyptian culture into wearable art. Her latest retail expansion in London, alongside her presence among the Young V&A's display items, demonstrate a growing global presence.
The Independent
08-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
The best ways to treat your mum in the UK this Mother's Day
As we slowly crawl into a sunny spring (we're feeling optimistic), the annual realisation that Mother's Day is just a few weeks away is about to boost the sales of hampers, flowers and fragrances across the country. Halloween, Valentine's Day … while there's plenty of cynicism about annual events some feel are simply designed to get consumers to spend more money, it's pretty hard to argue with a day devoted to bigging up the women who raised us. Granted, this shouldn't be confined to a single day, but it's certainly a good place to start. Luckily, the UK has plenty of events and activities to help show your appreciation. How about a wine tasting in the English countryside? An operatic extravaganza in Wales? Or a blow-the-budget afternoon tea at a five-star hotel? We've found some of the best things to do and places to go with your mum this Mother's Day, whether you're on a budget or have cash to splash. Visit a museum If your mum's partial to a culture fix, consider a visit to some of the UK's many award-winning museums. Admire the 'Making Egypt' exhibition at the V&A, revisit the past at York's JORVIK Viking Museum, or marvel at nature's diversity at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit at the National Museum of Scotland. And if you're feeling flush, a National Art Pass awards you access to hundreds of museums, galleries and historic houses across the UK, as well as 50 per cent off major exhibitions, meaning your mum can find inspiration all year round. Hit the booze (responsibly, of course) Whatever your poison, there's a tasting experience to suit. Head to Denbies Wine Estate in Dorking, Surrey, one of England's largest single estate vineyards; the historic Hook Norton brewery in the Cotswolds for a pint of something hoppy; or Kingsbarns Distillery in Fife for an easy-drinking Lowland whisky. Inject colour and fragrance into your mum's life with a stroll around some of the UK's most beautiful gardens. Sniff chocolate-scented Azara microphylla in the Rose Garden at Wrest Park in Bedfordshire, admire 2,500 different tree species from around the world at Westonbirt, the National Arboretum, or discover the quintessential English garden at Sissinghurst in Kent. Embrace the drama Whether it's a West End musical, classic Shakespeare, contemporary dance or emotive opera, a trip to the theatre is always a treat. Visit the Edinburgh Playhouse Theatre, the UK's largest working theatre in terms of capacity; the Welsh National Opera; or the Bristol Old Vic, the oldest continuously working theatre in the English-speaking world. Win, lose or draw Whether your mum's partial to a rugby scrum or chanting on the terraces, sport lies at the heart of British culture, and there are plenty of fixtures to choose from for belated celebrations. Cricket fans should try the historic Scarborough Cricket Festival, which has been held in the Yorkshire coastal town since 1876, or head to a gathering of the Highland Games for a unique insight into Scottish culture. Alternatively, don your glad rags and head to Epsom Derby to have a flutter on the horses. Catch a film Treat your mum to a night at the flicks. It's a great option for those short on cash, not least because Meerkat Movies offers 2-for-1 cinema tickets at most Odeon, Cineworld and Picturehouse cinemas and selected independent venues on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. While there's no snobbery about a visit to your nearest multiplex, the UK is home to some genuinely unique and historic places to catch the latest arthouse release or blockbuster hit, so it's worth seeking these out if you really want to pull out all the stops. The Rex in Berkhamsted transports you to the golden age of the silver screen with its 1938 art deco arch, while The Barn Cinema in Totnes, Devon, is an independent community cinema set inside a converted 14th-century barn. Elsewhere, Mareel in the Shetland Islands is a sleek, contemporary dream of a building – and the UK's most northerly music, cinema and creative industries centre. Feast on an afternoon tea Whatever your age, gender or taste, it's hard to deny the enduring appeal of tea and cake. Introduced to England in the 18th century by the Duchess of Bedford, this indulgent tradition shows no sign of waning. Quaff fizz and shovel cake while enjoying magical views over Lake Windermere and the surrounding fells at Storrs Hall, an award-winning afternoon tea at The Edgbaston in Birmingham, or extend your pinky with the crème de la crème at The Ritz in London. Take a stroll The cost of living crisis is real, so if you're feeling the pinch, don't forget that time is the most valuable gift you can offer (whether your mum will see it this way is another matter). Channel your inner Regency Lady and send mummy a handwritten letter inviting her for a wander, then stroll arm-in-arm through the local park while gossiping about potential suitors. Head to the Holburne Museum in Bath, the filming location of Lady Danbury's estate in Bridgerton, or romp around the grounds of Castle Howard, home of the show's fictional Clyvedon Castle. If you're feeling a bit more ambitious, consider taking on a walking challenge together: the 10-mile ridge walk that comprises the Bannau Brycheiniog Horseshoe offers glorious panoramas. Float away on a spa day Splash out (quite literally) and float away on a relaxing and rejuvenating spa day. While there's no shortage of spas clamouring to part you from your hard-earned pounds – see our guides to the best spa hotels in the UK, London, Cotswolds and the Lake District for inspo – it's also worth checking out your local leisure centre, which may offer semi-champagne facilities on a decidedly Special Brew budget. Discover the past The UK's rich and diverse history has resulted in some of the world's most fascinating historical sites. Take a trip to Stonehenge or Wiltshire's Avebury Stone Circle to marvel at these mysterious prehistoric sites, reflect on the sobering Troubles murals in Belfast, and get an incredible insight into royal life at Osborne House, the Italianate house and estate on the Isle of Wight commissioned by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1845.
Telegraph
12-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Making Egypt, Young V&A: an exhibition for children that they will actually want to see
How do you create an exhibition geared specifically for children? This is the question that preoccupies curators at east London's Young V&A, where the second temporary exhibition since the 2023 revamp of the former Museum of Childhood opens this week, on the theme of ancient Egypt. Since the show's target audience is eight- to 12-year-olds, and I have a couple of those at home, I decided to bring along my children for a preview. 'If only,' messaged a friend, upon hearing of my plan, as I doled out notebooks and biros, and briefed the girls to deliver a verdict fit for a national newspaper, 'you could always get them to do your work.' With more than 200 exhibits – some thousands of years old (and mostly amulet-sized), but many modern (including a Lego set of the Great Pyramid and a chic 1920s beaded lamé evening jacket) – Making Egypt is about 'creativity' as much as ancient history. You might expect an exhibition on this subject for kids to go big on, say, the grisly processes of mummification (brain tissue was removed via the nostrils – ew!). But, while it does contain a sarcophagus, as well as beautifully painted fragments of cartonnage (plaster-covered linen wrappings from coffins), this show – the mise-en-scène of which, in the opening section, ingeniously summons an atmosphere of sunny ease beside the Nile – shifts the emphasis from death and the afterlife to ancient Egyptian art and design, which, it argues, still inspires artists, couturiers, and filmmakers. That inner sarcophagus of Princess Sopdet-em-haawt is used to tell a story about writing. There's no timeline or historical overview, and only one overarching genealogy of the gods (in cartoon form); instead, the curators provide fun, themed displays about, say, the animals of the Nile (including hippos and crocodiles, which the Egyptians worshipped), or the significance of various deities' bestial attributes. Interactive games encourage children to learn about hieroglyphs (although it's brave to include a grammar lesson on 'determinatives', which scrambled my adult brain). My nine-year-old's response when invited to guess what the hieroglyph for a tree could represent? 'Um, is it a willy?' Sigh. The curators, though, understand what tone best appeals to children, and accordingly pepper the labels with punning subheadings and jokey asides; while, for me, these quips induced much groaning, my eldest approved. Both girls were struck by an astonishingly 'pretty' and contemporary-looking ancient bracelet of faience daisies, and a stunning blue silk-and-satin gown from 2022, by Maison Farah Wali, with a resplendent beaded bodice inspired by Horus, the falcon-headed god. With an area for reading storybooks, and a couple of zones where children can draw, there's plenty to keep young visitors occupied. Although my five-year-old son seemed to be most taken by a big screen playing clips from the video game Minecraft (which, I fear, may reflect badly on his parents), and soon got a little antsy, the girls, I'm happy to report, were engrossed for the best part of an hour. Making history palatable for schoolchildren isn't easy – but all the work that's gone into this imaginative, effective show pays off. From Feb 15; information:
