Meer | English edition

Wednesday, September 30, 2026

The spider’s web mirrors the quiet architecture of youth and self-doubt

The shadow self watches quietly, holding the words we never said

Like the tide, these poems capture moments that almost slipped away

In the stillness, even the smallest threads carry the weight of unspoken words

Between light and shadow lives the younger self, still in love with maybes

In love with maybes

Fragments of a younger self, remembered in poetry

Indian moulders at work under the supervision of a colonial official near Qutb Minar, 1856. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK

The colonial invention of the Indo-Greek civilisation

James Prinsep, archaeology, and the politics of knowledge in British India

A woman carefully comparing garments in her closet, reflecting the challenge of finding clothes that truly fit and flatter

When did getting dressed become so complicated?

A designer explores the frustrating difference between clothes that technically fit and clothes that actually work with a changing body

Long brunette hair accented by soft silver strands, reflecting the biological changes that influence hair pigmentation

Your first gray hairs are telling a bigger story

Early graying isn't always about age. It can reveal clues about stress, nutrition, hormones, and genetics

On the Street

225 tonnes of glass were transformed into blown glass jars

Science & Technology

Green Engineering in Lebanon

Ziad Abi Chaker Revolutionizes Waste Management

Musical Inspirations

Finding Inspiration in Music

Feelings and memories

A frayed American flag hangs in quiet testimony to a nation grappling with democratic strain

Economy & Politics

Trump administration: corruption and collapse

Justice, opposition, and the perilous state of American politics in 2025

A woman harvesting teff in Lebe village, Amhara region, Ethiopia, showcasing the traditional agricultural practices that sustain local communities

Food & Beverage

Forgotten superfoods: ancient wisdom for modern health

Reviving traditional crops for better health, sustainability, and resilience

Like a lighthouse, an enduring light reaches across dark waters; the principles of liberty, opportunity, and unity continue to illuminate the American journey

Architecture & Design

Lighthouses to guide the way

The making of lighthouses and their Fourth of July significance

A fresco in Belgium paying tribute to cartoonist Enki Bilal, created on March 12, 2018, by artists Soke and Michaël Nicolaï

Enki Bilal through the post/transhuman lens

From Yugoslavia’s collapse to posthuman science fiction

Architecture & Design

Night view of a busy street in Shinjuku, Tokyo, illuminated by vibrant neon signs and crowds of pedestrians, Japan

The semiotics of visual culture

Signs, symbols, branding, and digital media in the construction of modern meaning

Normann Copenhagen design furniture displayed in an exhibition

Tom Dixon and the art of creative salvage

Punk attitude, recycled materials, and improvisation shaping British design in the 1980s

Art

Catalina Rivera standing in front of Gustav Klimt, Life and Death, 1908-1915. Oil Paint on Canvas. Leopold Museum, Vienna

The Leopold Museum: Vienna’s modernist heart

Encountering Schiele’s raw intensity and the brilliance of Austrian fin-de-siècle art

An artist creating graffiti on a wall

What we really mean by “street art”

How a simple label quietly shapes legitimacy, value, and the way we see art in public space

Culture

Street peddlers selling goods in Boston, USA, around 1915

The peddler’s burden and the meaning of success

A journey from rural hardship to modern pressure, questioning what truly matters in life today

Blombos Cave is a well-known archaeological site located in the Blombos Private Nature Reserve, approximately 300 km east of Cape Town on South Africa’s Southern Cape coast. Its deposits span the Middle Stone Age (c. 100,000–70,000 BP) and the Late Stone Age (2,000–300 BP)

Blombos cave and the birth of the human mind

How red ochre, symbols, and silence marked the dawn of abstract thought

Economy & Politics

A violent scene depicting a man restraining a woman and covering her mouth during a physical assault

Drug-facilitated sexual assault in the digital age

Online communities, pornography networks, and legal gaps driving organised abuse

A shattered city street bears the scars of conflict, as smoke rises in the distance and silence settles over the ruins of everyday life

War and economic consequences

The financial strain of military spending, infrastructure loss, and disrupted markets

Entertainment

Sergei Parajanov was a Soviet film director and screenwriter known for his poetic, symbolic, and non-linear filmmaking style. He was born on January 9, 1924, in Tbilisi and died on July 20, 1990, in Yerevan at the age of 66

Sergei Parajanov and the soul of the Caucasus

The fusion of Armenian and Georgian traditions into a visionary cinematic language beyond borders and ideology

Keanu Reeves reflects on turning 50 and recalls his first-ever paid acting job during an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Keanu Reeves and the meaning of what remains

Why his timeless response reveals the emptiness of the Cushion Economy and the importance of slowing down for genuine inner work

Fashion

A woman wearing flowing white traditional attire against a desert landscape, representing cultural identity shaped by heritage and place

The silent language of political fashion

How clothing communicates power, identity, solidarity, and resistance without a single word being spoken

A person wearing a bold checkered coat while exploring a flea market, representing the influence of timeless fashion in a rapidly changing industry

Fashion, speed, and the sustainability challenge

How fast fashion changed the industry and continues to shape the future of clothing

Feature

On 28 March 1941, Virginia Woolf ended her life by walking into the River Ouse with stones placed in the pockets of her overcoat. The image recreates this moment in the 2002 film The Hours, directed by Stephen Daldry

Picking rocks with Virginia Woolf

A fictional dialogue on death, beauty, madness, and the silence both women seek

An Inquisition officer feigns sympathy while interrogating Aldonza’s mother about illegal bathing before trapping her with his words

A night where the incorrect answer could have fatal consequences

Food & Beverage

The cozy and inviting interior of Le Petit Dep in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Why Montreal’s coffee and brunch scenes outshines Toronto

The architecture of leisure

A Nepali family sharing a traditional Brahmin meal together on the floor, honoring simplicity, purity, and connection

The Brahman cuisine of Nepal

How purity, tradition, and spirituality shape a distinct culinary heritage

Science & Technology

An antique sundial engraved with zodiac symbols under natural light, representing how scientific observation and pseudoscientific belief have long shared visual traditions

The rise of pseudoscience

How misinformation imitates science and why distinguishing evidence from opinion has never been more important

D-Orbit’s General Expansion Architecture, a system designed to service and support satellites in orbit

The AI operating system for space

Why autonomy is becoming essential for managing orbital infrastructure at scale

Sport

Driven by this unique talent, he maintained decades of world-class performance while remaining an extraordinarily humble legend. Illustration by Paola Bilancieri

Lionel Messi and the dog who played football

Overcoming a childhood growth deficiency and isolation in Barcelona, Messi rose through sheer resilience and an innate, childlike focus on the ball

A girl figure skating gracefully on the ice

The science of ice skating performance

How biomechanics, physics, and psychology shape the elite skater

Travel

The facade of the Six Senses Rome hotel, which includes Palazzo Mellini, part of the Monastery of the Servite Order, and Palazzo Decarolis

Rome, inside and out: timeless magic

Immersing in the perfect blend of relaxation and exploration

Montego Bay, Jamaica's tourism capital, is a vibrant escape known for its white-sand beaches, championship golf courses, and lively nightlife

The Jamaica I actually saw

Challenging fear-based travel narratives through lived experience, cultural memory, and honest storytelling

Wellness

A woman sitting in silence in visible doubt, representing the uncertainty that can arise before taking an important step

When self-doubt becomes the thing holding you back

How hesitation, overthinking, perfectionism and fear can quietly prevent you from taking the steps you are capable of taking

A woman jogging along a scenic waterfront, representing the uplifting impact of regular movement on mental well-being

How physicality shapes mental well-being

A look at how regular movement supports emotional resilience, sharper thinking, and lasting mental well-being

Explore the Calendar

Worldwide Buenos Aires Vienna Málaga Mexico City Seville Bloomington Madrid Lausanne Cambridge Ottawa Zurich Honolulu Paris Seoul Washington Munich London Sofia Copenhagen Geneva Bern Hamburg

Gregory Rick, Dancing to the polls (detail), 2026. Courtesy of Johansson Projects

30 Sep — 31 Oct 2026 at the Johansson Projects in Oakland, United States

Sun, moon and five peaks. Courtesy of British Museum

1 Oct 2026 — 31 Jan 2027 at the British Museum in London, United Kingdom

Lucas Blalock, Film-object (Mouth) (detail), 2025, from
Tête-à-tête-à-tête-à-tête-à-tête. Courtesy of the artist and George Eastman Museum

2 Oct 2026 — 11 Apr 2027 at the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, United States

Thierry Boutonnier, Comment expliquer les objectifs de la production laitière aux vaches (detail), 2005. Courtesy of Dom Museum

Animals and humans

2 Oct 2026 — 22 Aug 2027 at the Dom Museum Wien in Vienna, Austria

Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Third family, 2011. Courtesy of Moderna Museet

Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian's exhibition

3 Oct 2026 — 28 Feb 2027 at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Sweden

Felicia Chiao, Slice of life (detail), 2026. Courtesy of Harman Projects

3 — 24 Oct 2026 at the Harman Projects in New York, United States

Marshmallow Laser Feast, All that is unseen, exhibition view. Courtesy of Media Majlis Museum

All that is unseen

4 Oct 2026 — 21 Jan 2027 at the Media Majlis Museum in Doha, Qatar

Giovanni Chiaramonte, Via Dolorosa Gerusalemme (detail), 1988. Courtesy of Viasaterna

Giovanni Chiaramonte. Alight

5 Oct — 11 Dec 2026 at Viasaterna in Milan, Italy

Mary Cassatt, Fillette dans un fauteuil bleu [Enfant dans le salon bleu] (detail), 1878. Courtesy of Musée d’Orsay

Mary Cassatt: l'indépendante

6 Oct 2026 — 31 Jan 2027 at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, France

Seba Calfuqueo, Itrofill mongen, opacidad del agua (detail), 2026. Courtesy of Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza

Seba Calfuqueo. Cautín

6 Oct 2026 — 17 Jan 2027 at the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid, Spain

Zurbarán. 1598–1664. Courtesy of Louvre

Zurbarán. 1598–1664

7 Oct 2026 — 25 Jan 2027 at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France

Sculpting colour. Courtesy of Louvre Museum

Sculpting colour

7 Oct 2026 — 25 Jan 2027 at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France

Swab’s 2025 edition, exhibition view. Courtesy of Swab

Swab’s 19th edition

8 — 11 Oct 2026 at Swab in Barcelona, Spain

Unknown, Help children in need through the Youth Red Cross’s cardboard boxes, Switzerland (detail), 1965. Courtesy of Musée International de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge

Humanitarian, by design?

8 Oct 2026 — 29 Aug 2027 at the Musée international de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge in Geneva, Switzerland

Jordan Nassar, The bursting of shape, 2026. Courtesy of the Third Line

No history of shapes ( ﻻلﺎﻜﺷ ﻸﻟ ﺦﯾرﺎﺗ)

8 — 24 Oct 2026 at The Third Line in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Elizabeth Magill, I’ve never felt magic, crazy as this (detail), 2026. Courtesy of Kerlin Gallery

8 Oct — 14 Nov 2026 at the Kerlin Gallery in Dublin, Ireland

Romuald Hazoumè, Kongo, 2024-25. Courtesy of October Gallery

8 Oct — 21 Nov 2026 at the October Gallery in London, United Kingdom

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