Arts

1 This one may be abstract but is it art?

2 This afternoon I went to a meeting about Multaka Oxford, a project which involves displaced people in the daily work of documenting, researching, interpreting and sharing two collections at university museums: Islamic astronomical instruments at the Museum of the History of Science, and a recent acquisition of textiles from the Middle East at the Pitt Rivers Museum.

It was exciting to see how the project has grown from a germ of an idea a year ago to the involvement now of several refugees. One I referred to the project shortly after his arrival four months ago with minimal English because he was interested in art and culture. I was so pleased to see that he barely needed the Arabic interpreter. The museums are enabling the volunteers to define their roles based on their own interests and the directions they want to take in the future and I was proud to be able to offer my organisation's expertise in helping refugees to translate volunteering into paid work.

3 Then this evening we went to see the Globe Touring Company performing outdoors. Every production I've ever seen of theirs has been fun, intelligent and accessible. This time the audience had to vote on which of three Shakespeare plays they would perform. I voted for Merchant of Venice as I wanted to see how they would handle the very live issue of anti-Semitism but was outshouted but those wanting Twelfth Night. Still an excellent evening. And warm! In previous summers I've watched the performance shivering in rain.