Robert Bound
Hit factory
Despite years of turbulence between Taiwan and China, this island’s pop culture leaves the mainland standing. From idols to protest singers via television talent shows, Taipei pop is the country’s new heavy industry.
Friends eclectic
LA’s KCRW sounds like the future of radio. Small, perfectly formed and with an influence that travels far beyond its American HQ, it breaks bands and sets the soundtrack for Hollywood’s films.
Watch word
The watch season kicked off early in Geneva at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), a tour of blue-chip brands that saw the unveiling of Ralph Lauren’s new collection.
Culture
Culture editor Robert Bound asks if the arts can console us in a time of crisis. Plus, reviews of the latest in film, books, art, and music from around the world.
Culture
This month's culture roundup features real-life football yarns, a fictional White House exposé and an ode to the migrating swallow. Plus, films from Armando Iannucci and new art shows in Tokyo and Paris.
Taiwan hit factory
Despite years of turbulence between Taiwan and China, this island's pop culture leaves the mainland standing. From idols to protest singers via television talent shows, Taipei pop is the country's new heavy industry.
Going solo
Frida Hyvönen is a singer-songwriter with an intimate understanding of the grand piano and the great outdoors. Monocle went backstage with the Swedish chanteuse in Paris as she prepared for her new record.
20 new heroes
Monocle shortlists 20 individuals from politics, business, music and design to watch in 2009. By overcoming odds and thinking creatively, they have already helped make the world a better place.
New designs on diplomacy
Post September 11 every embassy was built as a bunker ready to repel all comers. But now, from Kathmandu to Harare, architects are reinventing the mission as a national calling card. Robert Bound reports.
Light bulb moment
In our series on working lives, we enter artist Katie Paterson's world. She brings ideas of the universe to life, with witty installations that involve calling a mobile phone inside a glacier.
