Cultural Digest: Don't miss these events in Europe this week

British singer-songwriter PJ Harvey performs at the Sziget (Island) Festival. - Copyright Balazs Mohai/MTI - Media Service Support and Asset Management Fund

By Katy Dartford

Published on 07/07/2023 - 08:30

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From Tall Ships to the new Mission Impossible film, there's plenty to see and do around the continent this week.

If you've not gone on your summer holidays yet, there are plenty of things to look forward to – or even plan your trip around. From Tom Cruise's latest movie to a Crocodile-themed exhibition, here's our round-up for the week ahead.

Music

PJ Harvey – ‘I Inside The Old Year Dying’

It’s been seven years since PJ Harvey's last album, 'The Hope Six Demolition Project', and during that time she turned to poetry, soundtracks and scores instead.

Her epic poetry book, 2022’s 'Orlam', enabled her to combine her love of words, images and music in the new album in a way that goes beyond the traditional format. Originally, Harvey planned a theatre piece to expand upon the work, 'I Inside the Old Year Dying', which turned into a collection of twelve poems set to music.

Written over a period of three weeks, it further illuminates the world 'Orlam' created. Following the life of a young girl, Ira-Abel Rawles from childhood to adolescence, it uses the almost-lost dialect of the English coastal county of Dorset, where Harvey grew up.

In it, Harvey creates a sound evoking the natural world without sounding like folk music. Of the album's lead single, 'A Child’s Question, August' released in April, she said, “I think the album is about searching, looking… and seeking meaning”.

Film

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

Daniel Craig got sick of 007 after just five films, but Tom Cruise is back for the seventh instalment in the Mission: Impossible action franchise.

Starring as Ethan Hunt, the leader of the top-secret Impossible Mission Force, he is, as usual, brought in by a shadowy US government agency to stop evil forces trying to control the world.

There is also some amazing stunt work, including the keynote one where he floats free of his motorbike as it drops to earth. Cruise reportedly did this stunt six times in one day before he was happy with it.

In a plot which almost seems scarily plausible, the villain is a sentient artificial intelligence called The Entity, which seeks total control of all the information on Earth. The only way to defeat the AI is with a small metal key made of two pieces that slot together. Cue the puzzles, fist fights and car chases to find it.

The film will be followed by Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two, which is due to be released in a year's time and could be Cruise's swansong as Hunt.

TV

The Horror of Dolores Roach

Dolores has recently been released after 16 years in prison and returns to her now-gentrified New York City neighbourhood. The lover she protected for a decade-and-a-half is nowhere to be seen. So, of course, she starts a massage parlour in an empanada shop and starts killing people and putting them in the empanadas.

The Horror of Dolores Roach is based on an audio series from 2018, written by Aaron Mark and in its Sweeney Todd inspired manner, quietly takes a satirical swipe at current murder podcast culture too.

The Horror of Dolores Roach premieres on 7 July on Prime Video.

Exhibition

"What Do Crocodiles Dream About?" - Ljubljana, Slovenia.

The multi-media exhibition featuring artists from around the globe has opened in Ljubljana’s Museum of Contemporary Art Metelkova.

The uniting theme of the exhibition is the crocodile, which has a special meaning in different cultures around the world, and plays a central role in many non-European cultures; indigenous peoples knew how to coexist peacefully with it, while in the West, it is primarily seen as a threatening animal.

"What Do Crocodiles Dream About?" is comprised of three interconnected parts. "Surrender to the Tide" brings together art, moving images, films and sound installations, to highlight the current situation of indigenous people in the former Dutch colony of West Papua. "Less Condor, More Huemul" focuses on the social situation in Chile, while in "Birds Don’t Like to Migrate Anymore" artist Shade Safadi has created an installation where she combines birds, stories and myths that play an important role in the collective memory of the community living on the Golan Heights.

Must-see

The Amerigo Vespucci - Marseille, France

The oldest ship in the Italian navy, 92 years at sea, The Amerigo Vespucci has begun its round-the-world voyage, and you can see the vessel at the port of Marseille.

Over the next 22 months, the fully rigged Italian navy ship plans to call at 31 ports in 28 different countries.

At each port, the ship will showcase the best of Italian heritage and craftsmanship, as well as emphasising the importance of marine system protection.