Samuel Jones
Researcher
Samuel Jones is a researcher at Demos. His research interests include culture and the arts, museums and galleries, creativity and the communication of ideas and knowledge through the cultural sector. In particular, he is interested in cross-cultural communications and the role of culture in international relations. In other work, he has focused on Global English and conversations. Recently, he has undertaken research in both the US and China.
- Future in the Scales Conservation tends only to figure in the media, and hence the public imagination, when individual cases throw the spotlight on the restorative skill of conservators. The Qing vases at the Fitzwilliam Museum provide a good example. Today, this example of how to restore a Stradivarius violin after it had been crushed figured on the BBC's homepage, no less.The point about conservation, however, is that much of it focuses on preventive work - 'how do you stop vases getting smashed' etc. -... continue reading on 14th February 2008 in Saved for the Nation
- Reactions to Cultural Interventions in Russia In the wake of recent events involving the British Council's offices at Yekaterinburg and St Petersburg, it's interesting to see commentators once again pointing to the importance of culture in international relations, the theme of our Cultural Diplomacy pamphlet last year. I thought it was worth posting a selection. In last week's Guardian, Simon Jenkins argued that 'culture and lifestyle are the diplomacy of the 21st Century' - very much an echo of his earlier article in response to our... continue reading on 21st January 2008 in Cultural Diplomacy Comments (1)
- Ever so Hidden Dragon Literature, the arts and cultural production are one of the most crucial means by which we learn about norms, behaviours, outlooks and attitudes. In Cultural Diplomacy, we argued that we need to start thinking about cultural literacy, and how we build not only greater awareness of the many cultures that we encounter, but also to take that beyond simply informing of facts to providing skills to accommodate and respond to them in every situation, everyday or institutional, in which... continue reading on 17th January 2008 in Cultural Literacy
- Statement of Regret Kwame Kwei-Armah's Statement of Regret, currently playing at the National Theatre, is set in a think tank called the Institute of Black Policy Research (ibpr). The play takes its title from the demands made of the British and other governments to issue a 'statement of regret' for their respective nation's involvement in the slave trade.Some of us went to see it last night and thought that - if people haven't already come across it - it was worth drawing to their attention.Briefly... continue reading on 8th January 2008
- Waiting for Panto... The new extension to Coventry's Belgrade Theatre was opened in September of this year. It was designed by the architectural practise, Stanton Williams, the firm behind Compton Verney, the refurbishment of the RSA, the Tower Environs Scheme at Tower Hill and several other major projects of recent years.We have just published a review of the theatre in this week's Architectural Journal. It's registration only site I'm afraid. However, very briefly, we examined the theatre from... continue reading on 17th December 2007
- Fact and Fiction More than half the population have a library card and the number of visits to public libraries is increasing. Libraries are among the most loved and trusted public services. But debate has raged about the direction that libraries should take, and about where and how resources should be invested. Recently, Demos published an article in association with Hampshire County Council that looks at these debates and argues that the future of our libraries should lie in the hands of local people. continue reading on 7th December 2007 Comments (1)
- International Quidditch Just a brief post to draw attention to this article in the Guardian.Apparently, the English language version of the last instalment of the Harry Potter saga sells more overseas than in the UK - people don't want to wait for the translation. A million copies were sold last month in Germany alone, and the Chinese love it, racking up a number of pre-orders 200% higher than the last one.Apart from wizard-fever, this shows how important popular culture is in relation to the globalisation of... continue reading on 19th September 2007 in As You Like It
- Anita Roddick We were very sorry to hear of the passing away of Anita Roddick earlier this week. When Demos was founded, back in 1993, she was kind enough to sit on the first Advisory Council.Before and since, she led the way in ethical enterprise, promoting and championing causes in which she believed. The 1980s was a period of burgeoning business in which fortune could easily take precedence to principle: amidst this, the Body Shop was a reminder that enterprise and a commitment to... continue reading on 13th September 2007
- Rise of the Cultural Dragon - The PM woke him up Today sees the opening of the First Emperor exhibition at the British Museum. As the newspapers and television reports imply, it features a selection of the terracotta warriors buried alongside China's first Emperor, Qin Shihuangdi in the famous complex at Xi'an. It's also the largest number to have made the trip overseas - there are about 20 at the BM, 15 or so made a trip to Rome's Scuderie del Quirinale last year. Even though they might soon have their own diplomatic bags... continue reading on 13th September 2007 in Cultural Diplomacy Comments (2)
- Grills on Film and Cultural Dialogue In the latest Pixar film, Ratatouille, a rat called Remy discovers in the process of his everyday scavenging that he has culinary gifts. The film tells the story of his bid to succeed as a chef, a rodent in a decidely anti-rodent world.According to the Washington Post, Remy also has a different story to tell. In an article the other day, Remy is taken to represent a defence against perceptions in the US of French distaste for their cuisine which feeds off a wider rejection of... continue reading on 15th August 2007 in Cultural Diplomacy