Women outnumber men for the first time at Chelsea Flower Show

Women outnumber men for the first time at Chelsea Flower Show
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Britain’s Queen Camilla views David Austin roses with David J. C. Austin at Chelsea Flower Show in London, on May 22, 2023. (Reuters)
Women outnumber men for the first time at Chelsea Flower Show
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The Princess of Wales with pupils from schools taking part in the first Children’s Picnic at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, on May 22, 2023. (Reuters)
Women outnumber men for the first time at Chelsea Flower Show
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Britain’s Queen Camilla walks with Clare Matterson, Director General of the Royal Horticultural Society during a visit to the 2023 Chelsea Flower Show in London on May 22, 2023. (AFP)
Women outnumber men for the first time at Chelsea Flower Show
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Britain’s Queen Camilla smells David Austin roses during a visit to the 2023 RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London on May 22, 2023. (AFP)
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Updated 23 May 2023

Women outnumber men for the first time at Chelsea Flower Show

Women outnumber men for the first time at Chelsea Flower Show
  • The highlight of the British horticultural year opened to the public on Tuesday, with some 145,000 people expected to attend by Saturday's close
  • King Charles III and Queen Camilla visited on Monday, as did Catherine, Princess of Wales, whose husband William is heir to the throne

LONDON: More women than men are competing for medals at the Chelsea Flower Show this year — a first after more than a century of competition at the flagship London event.
The highlight of the British horticultural year opened to the public on Tuesday, with some 145,000 people expected to attend by Saturday’s close.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla visited on Monday, as did Catherine, Princess of Wales, whose husband William is heir to the throne.
A decade ago, women made up just 27 percent of medal candidates for their show gardens. This year, that has shot up to 58 percent.
In the “balconies and pots” section, created in 2021 to allow new talent to emerge through less expensive projects, all the contenders are women.
“There is much work to be done around increasing diversity in horticulture,” said Helena Pettit, the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) director of shows and gardens.
“But it is an encouraging step forward to have a garden category at RHS Chelsea with so many women.”
Fiona Davison, head of libraries and exhibitions at the society, explained that for a long time gardening was seen as a male preserve.
At best, it was considered a “delightful hobby” for more well-to-do women but certainly not a career, she noted.
Back in the 19th century, the only way to learn was as an apprentice gardener from the age of 12 or 14 in single-sex lodgings, which barred girls from entering the profession.
It was not until 1893 and the creation of an official RHS diploma that gardening opened up to young women.
At the time, women outnumbered men in Britain and “respectable” professions needed to be found for those in the middle class.
But progress was piecemeal.
When the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew allowed its first female gardeners to wear loose-fitting breeches like the men in the late 1890s, the shock was so great that the experiment was swiftly abandoned.
Meanwhile after Olive Harrisson topped the horticultural exams a few years later, she was refused a scholarship to work in the garden on the grounds that she was female.
“There was a lot of resentment from male gardeners and it was really tough for a lot of the women,” said Davison, who has penned a forthcoming book on Britain’s pre-World War I forward-thinking female gardeners.
“But some did make it through.”
This year’s Chelsea Flower Show celebrates eight of these often-overlooked pioneers, with a “yin and yang” inspired flower installation symbolising “how women can embody both softness and strength,” show manager Pollyanna Wilkinson told AFP.
The floral exhibits are in the traditional English cottage garden style, and were all produced by women.
Among the pioneers honored are global garden designer Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932) and the novelist, poet and gardener Vita Sackville-West (1892-1962), who was also a lover of Virginia Woolf.
The Indian botanist Janaki Ammal (1897-1984) and the English gardener Beth Chatto (1923-2018) also feature.
“They were very often gardening to make the world a better place with a social purpose behind them,” explained Davison.
“They were gardening in the cities, creating public parks and working in garden squares,” she said, adding they were “looking for spaces that they could do that because they didn’t have political power.”
More recently, Chatto in particular blazed a trail.
She won 10 consecutive gold medals at Chelsea, starting in the late 1970s, but a judge once wanted to disqualify her on the basis that her plants were all weeds.
“She was way ahead of her time because she was very conscious of plants in their environment, and had a much more flexible view of what a garden could be,” said Davison.
“She was prepared to use wild plants or plants that would be deemed non-garden plants or weeds, because they did well,” she added, in an era when manicured gardens dominated horticulture.
“That was her driving philosophy and now that’s very much the direction, even in the setting of the Chelsea Flower Show.”


Little Amal, a 12-foot puppet of a Syrian refugee, will travel the US

Little Amal, a 12-foot puppet of a Syrian refugee, will travel the US
Updated 31 May 2023

Little Amal, a 12-foot puppet of a Syrian refugee, will travel the US

Little Amal, a 12-foot puppet of a Syrian refugee, will travel the US
  • The puppet of the 10-year-old girl will visit the US Capitol, Boston Common, Joshua Tree National Park and the Edmund Pettus Bridge among other sites
  • Little Amal was created by the Handspring Puppet Company of South Africa, who made the award-winning puppets for the hit show “War Horse”

NEW YORK: Little Amal, a 12-foot (3.7-meter) puppet of a Syrian refugee, will journey across the United States this fall, visiting key places in America’s history to raise awareness about immigration and migration.
The puppet of the 10-year-old girl will visit the US Capitol, Boston Common, Joshua Tree National Park and the Edmund Pettus Bridge among other sites during a trek which starts in Boston on Sept. 7 and ends Nov. 5 along the US-Mexico border.
“There is something in the act of welcoming a stranger which redefines you,” says Amir Nizar Zuabi, the artistic director. “I think that’s part of what we’re trying to create when walking into places that have a beautiful, complicated, defining history.”
Stops are also planned for Philadelphia, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, the Tennessee cities of Nashville and Memphis, New Orleans, the Texas cities of Austin, Houston, San Antonio and El Paso, as well as the California cities of Los Angeles and San Diego.
“Obviously there’s a lot of specific points in our American history that we felt that we needed to address and that’s the reason why we’re starting in Boston,” says Enrico Dau Yang Wey, lead puppeteer and co-associate artistic director. “The reason why we’re finishing in San Diego is that there’s just such a thin line between the United States and Mexico.”
Little Amal demands empathy, the puppet of a vulnerable, naive girl who is in a strange place after surviving a long ordeal alone.
“She’s just a symbol of millions of children,” says Zuabi. “Just having a community breathe together and walk with Amal for a stretch in the streets becomes a very, very meaningful act.”
Organizers are reaching out to community artists and leaders at each of the 35 stops — including places revered in Civil Rights Movement history like Selma, Alabama, and recent scenes of gun violence like Uvalde, Texas — to create more than 100 special events anchored by each place visited.
“We work very closely with our local partners and try and understand what is the story they’re trying to tell and try to co-create an event that resonates in this place to this community,” says Zuabi. “I think that’s part of why this project becomes so emotional for many people.”
Little Amal was created by the Handspring Puppet Company of South Africa, who made the award-winning puppets for the hit show “War Horse.” She requires four puppeteers at each visit, three to move her head and limbs and one to collect items people give her. A total of nine puppeteers will make the coast-to-coast trek with Little Amal.
“A lot of the ways we think about refugees, about immigrants, about migration, are formed and informed in American,” says Zuabi. “In a way, that’s a discussion we want to join and learn and listen.”
Last year, the puppet made a 17-day circuit through every corner of New York City, including joining a reading of the book “Julián Is a Mermaid” at the Brooklyn Public Library and a drum circle in Harlem. This June, she will be in Toronto.
The puppet completed a 5,000-mile (8,050-kilometer) trek across Europe in 2021, from the Syrian-Turkish border to northwest England, traveling through 12 countries — including greeting refugees from Ukraine at a Polish train station and stopping at refugee camps in Greece — and meeting with Pope Francis.
Wey describes Little Amal as a “miraculous thing that pulls people together suddenly” to create a “collective sense of empathy and a collective sense of awe.”
“Every time it’s different and every time you learn a little bit more. It’s one of those things where we learn on the job,” he adds. “I have to get a new pair of walking boots.”


Air New Zealand asks passengers to weigh in before their flights

Air New Zealand asks passengers to weigh in before their flights
Updated 31 May 2023

Air New Zealand asks passengers to weigh in before their flights

Air New Zealand asks passengers to weigh in before their flights
  • Month-long survey for pilots can better know the weight and balance of their planes before takeoff
  • Health statistics show New Zealanders are becoming heavier

WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s national airline is asking passengers to step on the scales before they board international flights.
Air New Zealand says it wants to weigh 10,000 passengers during a month-long survey so pilots can better know the weight and balance of their planes before takeoff.
But the numbers from the scales won’t be flashing up for all to see. There will be no visible display anywhere, the airline promised, and the weigh-in data will remain anonymous even to airline staff.
“We weigh everything that goes on the aircraft — from the cargo to the meals onboard, to the luggage in the hold,” said Alastair James, a load control improvement specialist for the airline, in a statement. “For customers, crew and cabin bags, we use average weights, which we get from doing this survey.”
Indeed the numbers are required by the nation’s industry watchdog, the Civil Aviation Authority.
Under the authority’s rules, airlines have various options to estimate passenger weight. One option is to periodically carry out surveys like Air New Zealand is doing to establish an average weight. Another option is to accept a standard weight set by the authority.
Currently, the authority’s designated weight for people 13 and over is 86 kilograms, which includes carry-on luggage. The authority last changed the average passenger weight in 2004, increasing it from 77 kilograms.
Health statistics show New Zealanders are becoming heavier. The latest national health survey put the adult obesity rate at 34 percent, up from 31 percent a year earlier. Childhood obesity rates increased to 13 percent, up from 10 percent a year earlier.
Customers on Air New Zealand domestic flights were asked to weigh in a couple of years ago.
James said there was nothing for passengers to fear by stepping on the scales.
“It’s simple, it’s voluntary, and by weighing in, you’ll be helping us to fly you safely and efficiently, every time,” he said.
The airline said the survey began this week and will run through July 2.


Dubai to take part in June’s London Design Biennale

Dubai to take part in June’s London Design Biennale
Updated 30 May 2023

Dubai to take part in June’s London Design Biennale

Dubai to take part in June’s London Design Biennale
  • Bake bread, see an AI robot designing, weave a tapestry, get inside a space pod, visit a virtual garden

LONDON: Dubai is set to take part in this year’s London Design Biennale, which is an interactive, musical and kinetic exhibition of creative innovation from across the globe, organizers have announced.

Dubai will feature a pavilion entitled “And Beyond,” in line with the theme for the fourth edition — “The Global Game: Remapping Collaborations” — from June 1 to 25.

Over 40 international exhibitors will showcase world-leading design, confronting global challenges and inspiring audiences with thought-provoking installations, organizers said.

 

 

“Bake bread, witness an AI Robot designing, weave a tapestry, get inside a space pod, find inner peace and visit a virtual garden,” according to a statement from the organizers.

Overseeing this year’s event is Nieuwe Instituut, the Dutch national museum and institute for architecture, design and digital culture, led by General and Artistic Director Aric Chen.

The theme of this year’s biennale aims to go “beyond borders and territories to enact new forms of international cooperation and participation through design.”

Launching this year, the Eureka exhibition will share design-led innovation from leading research centers featuring cross-disciplinary invention and creativity, involving academics, leaders and problem solvers.

“The London Design Biennale provides a wide space for constructive dialogue, anticipating the future of design, encouraging the exchange of experiences, and showcasing best practices in the creative sector, which Dubai attributes special importance to and works to enhance and push towards its growth and prosperity,” Khulood Khoory, Director of the Projects & Events Department at Dubai Culture, said.

“This global event contributes to enhancing the competitiveness and strength of the design sector in Dubai and elevating it to new levels.

“Design is an essential element in creative expression, consolidating creativity, innovation, and sustainability. At Dubai Culture, we seek to highlight the emirate’s cultural identity on the global map through our participation in the exhibition,” she added.

Abdalla Almulla, founder of ‘MULA’ design studio, said: “‘And Beyond’ takes visitors on a creative journey from camel caravans to the Hope Probe via scenes inspired by my observations and experiences in Dubai, whose desert environment I rediscovered and prompted me to think about the nature of the challenges our ancestors faced and their ability to face harsh conditions and adapt to them.

He continued: “I juxtaposed their story with the remarkable success achieved by the Hope Probe, which is an example of human ambition and our infinite capabilities.”

Almulla stated that the installation aligns with the biennale’s theme, ‘The Global Game: ReMapping Collaborations,’ adding: “The design installation is based on the idea of collaboration and its role in encouraging creativity and innovation. It helps introduce different points of view, allowing us to reach various solutions that lead us to a better future.”


Venice’s Grand Canal turns bright green due to fluorescein

Venice’s Grand Canal turns bright green due to fluorescein
Updated 30 May 2023

Venice’s Grand Canal turns bright green due to fluorescein

Venice’s Grand Canal turns bright green due to fluorescein
  • The results “have not shown the presence of toxic elements in the samples analyzed,” the statement said, without specifying the origin of the substance

ROME: The spectacular transformation of a stretch of Venice’s Grand Canal to fluorescent green was due to fluorescein, a non-toxic substance used for testing wastewater networks, local authorities said on Monday.
Residents noticed a stretch of Venice’s Grand Canal turned bright green Sunday, prompting police to investigate amid speculation it could be a stunt by environmentalists.

In this image released by the Italian firefighters, a firefighter on a boat looks at the arched Rialto Bridge along Venice's historical Grand Canal as a patch of phosphorescent green liquid spreads in it, Sunday, May 28, 2023. (AP)

But analysis showed “the presence of fluorescein in samples taken,” said the the Regional Agency for Environmental Prevention and Protection of Veneto (Arpav).
The results “have not shown the presence of toxic elements in the samples analyzed,” the statement said, without specifying the origin of the substance.
The change in color noticed by residents raised eyebrows, with police looking into whether Sunday’s development could be a protest by climate change activists, according to local daily La Nuova Venezia.
It is not the first time the Grand Canal has turned green.
In 1968, Argentine artist Nicolas Garcia Uriburu dyed the waters of Venice’s Grand Canal green with a fluorescent dye during the 34th Venice Biennale in a stunt to promote ecological awareness.
 

 


Saudi astronaut Ali Al-Qarni shares image of Riyadh

Saudi astronaut Ali Al-Qarni shares image of Riyadh
Updated 29 May 2023

Saudi astronaut Ali Al-Qarni shares image of Riyadh

Saudi astronaut Ali Al-Qarni shares image of Riyadh
  • Al-Qarni and his fellow astronaut Rayyanah Barnawi are the first Saudi nationals to be sent to the International Space Station (ISS)

LONDON: Saudi astronaut Ali Al-Qarni shared a photo of the Saudi capital Riyadh from space on his Twitter account on Sunday.

Al-Qarni and his fellow astronaut Rayyanah Barnawi are the first Saudi nationals to be sent to the International Space Station (ISS), with the latter the first Saudi and Arab woman to be given the honor.

Both have shared images of their homeland and the Middle East from their vantage point more than 400 kilometers above the Earth’s surface.

“Riyadh is shining even in space,” Al-Qarni tweeted alongside a photo of Riyadh and a photo of the Saudi flag inside the space station.

Al-Qarni and Barnawi are conducting experiments and research including cancer prevention and prediction, microgravity, cloud seeding and cell reprograming, according to reports.