Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
My Profile
Reuters Health Summit
Hear from CEOs and other business leaders
Get Exclusives
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
Entertainment
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Entertainment
Film
Music
People
Television
Arts
Industry
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Environment
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
You Witness
The Great Debate
Blogs
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
You Witness News
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
New U.N. art work raises controversy
Tue Nov 18, 2008 6:28pm EST
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
By Jonathan Lynn
GENEVA (Reuters Life!) - A stunning work of art dubbed a 21st century Sistine Chapel donated to the United Nations is stirring a controversy over whether aid money should have been used to cover part of its cost.
The United Nations inaugurated a refurbished meeting room, the gift of Spain, at its European headquarters on Tuesday.
Formerly known simply as Room XX, the new Human Rights and Alliance of Civilisations Chamber is certain to be a highlight of visits to the U.N.'s art-deco building near Lake Geneva.
The floor and walls of the circular chamber are carpeted with champagne-colored material.
But it is the ceiling that is really striking.
Miquel Barcelo, one of Spain's leading contemporary artists, has turned the dome of the chamber into a dazzling cave, complete with stalactites, in every imaginable color.
Barcelo, from the Spanish island of Majorca, worked on the project for two years with 20 assistants, using hundreds of tonnes of paint.
The chamber was inaugurated by the King and Queen of Spain, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the prime ministers of Spain and Turkey, Swiss president and the spiky-haired artist.
Between the speeches, an audience of bemused dark-suited diplomats watched a film showing Barcelo and his team squirting paint on to the 1,400-square-meter dome with an industrial compressor, then broke into enthusiastic applause.
Barcelo read a statement in Majorcan dialect and then in Spanish describing his inspiration, one hot day in the Sahel region of Africa.
"I remember with the vividness of a mirage the image of the world dripping toward the sky," he said.
"Trees, dunes, donkeys, multicolored beings... trickling drop by drop. And being consumed."
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero told the guests that the dome was a metaphor for our world, in all its complexity, richness and diversity, as well as a reflection of an energetic and confident Spain.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban said the design would help people discussing problems see the issue from different perspectives.
"The design itself might be thought of as a metaphor for our work. The colors look different depending on where you are seated," he said. Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
My Web
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
Reunited Kate and Leo lost on "Revolutionary Road"
Also on Reuters
Americans embrace saving as nest eggs shatter
Slideshow
Modern day piracy: Somalia's pirate coast
Hillary Clinton job for Barack Obama may depend on Bill
Editor's Choice
Pictures
Video
Articles
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Space repair
Piracy
Beatles Song
Top News: Washington faces reform test
Lifestyle: Australia fights alcohol-fueled violence
Science: Kangaroo genes close to humans
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
Recommended
Obama, McCain pledge to work together
U.S. auto execs plead for Congress to fund bailout | Video
Lawmakers, Treasury lock horns on foreclosures | Video
Many doctors plan to quit or cut back: survey
Clinton job for Obama may depend on Bill
Hijacked Saudi tanker reaches Somalia | Video
Obama to pick Holder as Attorney General: report
Senate Republican vote on Stevens postponed
McCain-backer Lieberman keeps Senate chairmanship
Obama offers Holder attorney general post
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
Hijacked supertanker nears Somalia
Obama, McCain pledge unity
Hopes fade for China missing
2 die in public lynching in Bolivia
Congress weighs auto bailout
Kennedy returns to work
Violence halts Uruguayan soccer
Talk of the Town: New Beatles song
Paulson:TARP targets financial firms
Police clash with Czech extremists
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
pictures
Slideshow
Country Music Awards
Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood and George Strait are the big winners at the CMA awards. Slideshow
Reuters Deals
The global destination for corporate leaders, deal-makers and innovators
Knowledge to Act
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Interactive TV |
Labs |
Reuters in Second Life |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.