Culture
If public art is meant to inspire communities, why do cities often get it so wrong?
Sculptures in urban spaces rarely speak to the people and places in which they’re plonked. Is there ever a time they can actually improve our quality of life?
Latest in Monocle Radio
Latest
Escape to la campagne: Côte d’Azur
Nestled in the hills above Nice, Casa Sallusti is a permaculture farm and hotel that was created to show how you can still enjoy the good things in life while taking care of the…
How to enjoy life
Join us for a whirlwind tour around the cobbled streets, cocktail bars and jazz lounges of Paris to explore how to enjoy the small things in life and find out why hedonism (in moderation)…
Meet the photographers: John Balsom
The Jogos da Lusofonia are an Olympics-style sporting event for people from the world’s Portuguese-speaking nations. We dispatched John Balsom – a photographer known for his powerful portraits – to the 2009 games in Lisbon.…
Meet the photographers: Alexandre Guirkinger
Mont Blanc is one the world’s most famous mountains – and its deadliest. We asked French photographer Alexandre Guirkinger to create a portrait of this mountain and the people who dwell in its powerful…
Escape to la campagne: Normandy
Pierre-Edouard Robine traded city life to rediscover his farming roots in 2016. Since then, he has built a sparkling wine business and forages for Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris, alongside tending to his small herd…
Meet the photographers: Rena Effendi
In our latest film series, we meet and celebrate some of the people behind our iconic photography reportage. In our first episode Istanbul-based photographer Rena Effendi talks about her process, why she shoots on…
Samfundssind: community spirit in Denmark
Housing co-operatives are numerous in Denmark, providing residents with affordable places to live, keeping community spirit strong and cultivating samfundssind: the Danish concept of putting society’s needs ahead of individual interests. Monocle visited the…
Sisu: The art of Finnish fortitude
Finland is a swimmer’s paradise and residents take to the water year-round. In colder months the practice often involves carving a hole into ice – a demonstration of “sisu”, the unique Finnish concept of…
Ísbíltúr: Iceland’s ice-cream road trips
We hit the road with journalist Egill Bjarnason, finding the best spots to grab a cone on a journey into the Icelandic custom of ‘ísbíltúr’. It’s one of many Nordic lifestyle concepts that can…
Métiers d’art by Chanel
Chanel’s annual métiers d’art collection is an ode to craftsmanship and a tribute to the specialist ateliers with which the house works. We go behind the scenes to watch the creative process and witness…
