Half of Musicians Have Faced Sexual Harassment, Reports Union

Artists are quitting the music industry because of rampant sexism, says the Musicians’ Union. A survey of 725 artists carried out by the Musicians’ Union has shown that 48% of respondents have been sexually harassed while at work, which is causing many artists to leave the industry, The Guardian reported. The union have urged the government to introduce tougher legislation to stop the abuse and to also protect freelancers under the Equality Act 2010. Naomi Pohl, deputy general secretary at the Musicians’ Union said in a statement: ‘We are aware of far too many cases of talented musicians, particularly young or emerging artists, leaving the industry altogether due to sexism, sexual harassment or abuse.’

280 leading cultural figures are calling for a cultural boycott of Turkey. Scholars, writers and artists have signed a petition to boycott academic and cultural institutions sponsored by the Turkish government. Signatories include Angela Davis, Noam Chomsky and founder of Forensic Architecture, Eyal Weizman. The petition calls on intellectuals around the world to opt out of joint projects and research collaborations with Turkish universities and put pressure on them to cut ties with the government. ‘Turkey’s academic institutions are deeply enmeshed with Turkish capitalism and the military industrial complex,’ said a statement on the campaign’s website. ‘Many universities act as incubators for Turkish military technology, making the arms companies richer, and strengthening the state’s oppressive militarism.’

The mystery origin of the Bayeux Tapestry has been revealed by British professor Christopher Norton, who found that the long, thin tapestry fits perfectly into a lost area of Bayeux cathedral. Norton, a professor of Art History at the University of York, discovered that the 230 foot long embroidered cloth was designed to be placed in the nave of Bayeux Cathedral in Normandy, France, between the west wall and choir screen. In a statement, the academic, said: ‘This general proposition can now be corroborated by the specific evidence that the physical and narrative structure of the tapestry are perfectly adapted to fit the nave of the 11th-century cathedral.’

Andrea Lissoni has been named artistic director of Munich’s Haus der Kunst. Previously a senior curator at Tate Modern specialising in film and international contemporary art, Lissoni has been chosen to fill the position, previously held by the late Okwui Enwezor who stepped down in 2018. Ingvild Goetz, Achim Hochdörfer, and Bice Curiger, who served on the selection committee, said in a joint statement that Lissoni is ‘particularly well-versed in the international scene of interdisciplinary artistic creation.’