Away from Your Desk
Verbannen Sie die englische Sprache nicht an den Arbeitsplatz! Mit Büchern, Kunst und anderen Dingen räumen Sie ihr auch in Ihrer Freizeit einen Platz ein. Von DEBORAH CAPRAS
Tips for your off-duty hours
ART
For many people, impressionism was an art movement that played out predominately in France. It turns out that some Canadians also fell in love with this painting technique in Paris — and took it back to their homeland. You can see a selection of their artwork at the Kunsthalle Munich. “Canada and Impressionism: New Horizons”, organized in collaboration with the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, focuses on 36 artists whose work is being shown for the first time in Europe. The exhibition runs until 17 November 2019. www.kunsthalle-muc.de
FASHION
“A fashion is merely a form of ugliness so absolutely unbearable that we have to alter it every six months!” This is not a recent quote about fast fashion, but something that Oscar Wilde, the Irish playwright, poet and novelist, wrote in 1885. Is fashion really a form of ugliness? Not according to philosopher Shahidha Bari. Her book Dressed: The Secret Life of Clothes takes the reader on a fascinating journey through our many layers of clothing, culture and politics. Published by Jonathan Cape.
PARTY GAME
With so many word games on the market, you’d think it would be impossible to create one that’s truly original. But then along comes Just One. In this game, players have to guess a mystery word. That’s not exactly original, but the rules are. A few clever but simple twists force you to be creative with language. Don’t be deceived by the plain packaging. Inside lies a fun party game. Best played with four to six friends. Published by Repos, available at Amazon.com. http://justone-the-game.com
STREAMING
Boris Johnson, the current UK prime minister, sees himself as a modern male version of Margaret Thatcher, who became the UK’S first female prime minister in 1979 (much to the annoyance of a 23-year-old Theresa May at the time). What kind of PM was Thatcher? The Iron Lady, a film from 2011, provides some insight. Meryl Streep’s Oscar-winning performance zooms in on her ruthlessness in office and dementia in old age. The film also highlights the divisive and destructive nature of some of her policies. You can see the movie on Netflix — and will surely notice some similarities with Boris Johnson.
APP
If you’re a nature lover but can’t tell a begonia from a geranium, you might like inaturalist. This free app can help you identify plants and creatures — anywhere in the world. Simply upload a photo and then wait. A combination of artificial intelligence algorithms and a network of citizen scientists and experts will help you name it (in English and by the scientific name). Scientists say it’s like Pokémon Go, the augmented reality game. This app is probably not as addictive, but it’s far more educational. And, if you can tell your begonias from your geraniums, you could sign up as one of the citizen scientists. An initiative of the California Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society. www.inaturalist.org