Latest news with #culturalheritage
Russia Today
19 hours ago
- Russia Today
Major European museum announces complete restoration (VIDEOS)
Russia's State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg will undergo a full restoration of its entire architectural complex, including the iconic imperial Winter Palace, museum director Mikhail Piotrovsky has announced. The large-scale effort is expected to span several years and will involve detailed scientific and architectural planning, he said at a press conference on Thursday. 'We are embarking on another major task. We need to restore the entire complex of Hermitage buildings again. A long time has passed since all this was done last,' Piotrovsky said. 10 facts about Russias astounding Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg The word 'Hermitage' is translated from French as 'place of solitude.'The Hermitage is among the top five most visited museums in our country and the top twenty most popular museums in the Russia,… The head of construction and restoration, Sergey Makarov, said the work will start with the Winter Palace, which has served as the museum's main building since 1917, and the Hermitage Theater. 'We are currently preparing plans for a major restoration of the main museum building. We need to restore the facades, several halls, parquet floors, which are very worn out,' he said, citing high visitor traffic, especially during peak tourist seasons. Makarov added that the theater's renovation will be completed as quickly as possible to minimize disruption. State Hermitage Museum 🇷🇺متحف هيرميتاج في سان بطرسبرغ the Great began assembling the Hermitage's art collection in 1764, initially for private royal use. In 1852, Tsar Nicholas I opened part of the collection to the public with the inauguration of the New Hermitage building, which became Russia's first museum purpose-built to display art. Today, the Hermitage ranks among the world's most visited museums. Major restorations last took place in the late 20th century and continued into the early 2000s, including upgrades to the General Staff Building and the Small Hermitage. The museum recently completed the restoration of the facades of the Menshikov Palace, a historic building dating to the era of Peter the Great.
Bloomberg
a day ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Planned Belgrade Trump Tower Slammed by Europe Heritage Watchdog
Serbia must protect its monuments and defy plans by Donald Trump's son-in-law to raze downtown blocs in the nation's capital to make way for a large real estate project, said Europe's top cultural heritage organization. Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners wants to build a luxury hotel and residences on the site of the Balkan nation's former defense headquarters in Belgrade, badly damaged by NATO bombing in 1999 during the Kosovo War.
Arabian Business
a day ago
- Business
- Arabian Business
Saudi Arabia's Diriyah Company and UAE's G42 named among TIME100 Most Influential Companies
Saudi Arabia's Diriyah Company and UAE-based G42 have been named to the prestigious TIME100 Most Influential Companies of 2025, a global list recognising organisations making extraordinary impact across business, culture, innovation, and sustainability. The annual list, curated by TIME editors and experts, highlights 100 companies reshaping their industries and influencing the world's future. This year, Diriyah Company was recognised for its transformational urban development project in Riyadh, while G42 was honoured in the 'Innovators' category as a rising global AI power. Diriyah: Saudi's cultural megaproject joins global elite Diriyah Company becomes only the second Saudi firm, after Aramco in 2024, to be included in the TIME100 list. The recognition spotlights the company's work in developing the $63.2 billion 'City of Earth', a visionary cultural and residential project on the outskirts of Riyadh. Diriyah Company Group CEO Jerry Inzerillo said: 'Being recognized as one of the Time100 Most Influential Companies is a powerful affirmation of Diriyah's mission to lead with purpose: by honouring our heritage, uplifting our community, and embracing world-class sustainability and hospitality standards. 'From carbon-free construction, energy efficiency and water conservation, to cultural preservation and human-centric development, every aspect of Diriyah's development reflects a commitment to minimizing our environmental footprint while maximising quality of life for nearly 100,000 future residents' Diriyah's development strategy includes: Carbon-free construction and energy efficiency Water conservation and environmental stewardship Cultural landmarks such as the Royal Diriyah Opera House and Wadi Hanifah A focus on creating vibrant communities for nearly 100,000 future residents G42: UAE's AI trailblazer gains global spotlight Abu Dhabi-based G42 was recognised as an 'Innovator' on the list for its leadership in artificial intelligence and mega-scale digital infrastructure. TIME specifically cited G42's launch of the largest AI infrastructure project outside the US—a 10-square-mile AI campus unveiled in May in partnership with Microsoft and OpenAI. The campus, based in Abu Dhabi, includes supercomputing facilities, a science park, and is core to the UAE's ambition to become a global AI superpower by 2031. Faheem Ahamed, Group Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at G42, noted that G42's selection reflects its growing global influence, with giga-scale projects underway in Europe, Kenya, and the US, and a collaborative model that positions the company at the centre of global AI infrastructure development. TIME100: A global barometer of influence The TIME100 Most Influential Companies list was launched in 2021 and includes past honourees such as Apple, Microsoft, LVMH, and JP Morgan. Companies are evaluated on impact, innovation, ambition, leadership, and success, with nominations drawn from TIME's global contributor network and external experts. This year's recognition of Diriyah Company and G42 cements the growing global influence of the Gulf region, as it emerges as a powerhouse across a variety of fields. Other notable names on the list this year, included: Alibaba Nintendo UFC Hyundai Duolingo LinkedIn Prada Berkshire Hathaway Meta Amazon Netflix OpenAI SpaceX
SBS Australia
a day ago
- Entertainment
- SBS Australia
NITV Radio Full 27/06/2025
In today's program for NITV Radio news, sport and weather as well as stories from across the country. Glenda shares how she considers herself a generational weaver, learning from her mother and grandmother as well as learning the craft of her husbands Country, saying "the story of Reflection Net of dispossession and dislocation of family" Darrell is a man from Lombadina on the Dampier Peninsula, Western Australia. Brings his expertise as a multi-disciplinary artist to Bangarra as artist and cultural collaborator for Illume.
ABC News
2 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Indigenous artefacts ready for 3,000km journey home to Mornington Island
For decades, bark paintings, traditional tools and boomerangs have been hidden away in the dark, thousands of kilometres from ancestral country. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains an image of people who have died. Untouched and completely forgotten about, it took 50 years for staff in Victoria's Baw Baw Shire to discover the items in storage. "Our council found 37 articles in storage here in [the town of] Warragul and we had to try and figure out what they were doing in our collection," Baw Baw Shire Mayor Danny Goss said. Gifted by the Lardil people of Mornington Island in Queensland's Gulf of Carpentaria, the items are now set to make the 3,000-kilometre journey home. "There was a letter of provenance with the items that indicated they'd been donated to us by Colin and Elizabeth Goldberg, who lived here in the 1980s until 1995," Cr Goss said. The couple have since died, but the council tracked down their daughters who helped fill in some of the blanks. "Mr Goldberg helped establish a commercial art business there, apparently, and he was gifted these," Cr Goss said. "There are things like bark paintings, mixed items like tools, boomerangs, headdresses, vases, there's quite a range of items that are part of the collection. "I'm no expert but it's my understanding these are some of the first commercial works, they were gifted, so we're hoping to bring them back." On Mornington Island, art centre manager John Armstrong was the first to receive the call offering the return of the works. "We're very fortunate here that we do have a keeping place, when these works come back, they will be kept and properly documented. "They'll be available for research and available for the community to look at and gain some clues about the way that the old people did things." Lardil woman Renee Ngandawarrkirr Wilson, 43, has lived on the island all her life, working alongside Mr Armstrong to preserve the culture of her people. She said it was no surprise the Goldbergs were able to gather an impressive collection. "Lardil people have always had an adoptive culture where we would adopt people," she said. "[They] come to the community, work here and they would become a part of our family. "Each object is a part of our cultural identity, and it carries ancestral knowledge, and cultural significance to us. She said her people want to see the continued return of knowledge. "They do, it can help our youth to understand what it took to make these objects, so then you're transferring knowledge," Ms Wilson said. "You can see that the quality of work was different to what it is now, and it can teach our young ones, whether it be used in dance or, you know, painting. An exact date for the return is yet to be set, but Cr Goss said it would not be at a cost to the ratepayer. "It's a long way from Warragul but I feel that I should take them back personally, I'll pay for that myself," he said. "We'll be looking to do that in the next month or two." Kurnai elder Aunty Cheryl Drayton from West Gippsland led a smoking ceremony to mark the start of the artefacts' journey home. She said it was an important part of reconciliation for the local community. "In doing this ritual, it would mean a lot to the Mornington Island people, that this was carried out respectfully, and with due interest to return the items to them." This collection is the most recent offer of repatriation to the island but not the first. In 2022, a precious First Nations headdress was returned to Mornington Island after spending more than 50 years in the United Kingdom. Mr Armstrong suggests they have seen more offers to return objects in the past 18 months. "We were getting, or probably one or two offers of repatriation a month — sometimes with a couple of works, sometimes only one," he said. It seems obvious to the art centre manager that this was a direct link to the discussion and vote on Australia having a federal Voice to Parliament. "I suspect that since the referendum, the awareness of First Nations cultural heritage has probably increased, Mr Armstrong said. "It's really moving when that happens, that someone has been here and part of the community and decided they want to give back. Not all returns are of a similar size to this collection, with some more ordinary items also being returned. "A couple of months ago I had a small shell turn up in a post bag, it had no artwork or significance," Mr Armstrong said. "It was something that this person who was here as a nurse in the 60s picked up on the beach and now she said, 'I think this should go back where it came from.'"
