In Bandung, the capital of West Java, a growing hub of creative businesses are choosing to stay put and build an arts and crafts industry. Suddenly, ‘Made in Indonesia’ has become a phrase with a reputation behind it.
On Saudi Arabia’s fledgling cultural scene, artists tread a precarious path to put the kingdom
on the international art map. While inspiration and invention flourish behind closed doors, the spectres of censorship and…
Estonia's capital has long had a thriving music scene and Tallinn Music Week, which runs until 3 April, has this year expanded its scope to also explore pressing social issues. Apart from outdoor art installations, pop-up…
Midland Atelier is a design powerhouse that attracts people to train from all over the world and offers opportunities to local creative talent. In Western Australia, where mining is the major industry, it’s a breath of…
This year’s World Design Capital has much to showcase. Its new mayor is keen to advance the city’s liberal credentials, cultivate a creative class and put a stop to the exodus of young talent. How far can Ko Wen-je go?
Cécile Frot-Coutaz heads up the Fremantle Media Group, a content provider with a huge global reach thanks to its TV brands including ‘The X Factor’ and ‘American Idol’. She discusses evolving viewing habits and how she…
It’s approaching graduation time in design schools around the globe. But are there going to be any jobs for the new talents –
and, more controversially, do they deserve them? Monocle asks leading players, ‘Are we creating…
The east German city of Leipzig might not be a huge metropolis but it packs a punch when it comes to its graphic-design credentials. We meet the new generation of creatives who are swapping the hectic streets of Berlin for…
Its disastrous wars of the 1990s left Serbia locked out while other former Eastern bloc nations enjoyed the European party. Now, as its creative and business talent discards nationalist fantasies, the world is catching on…
Around 700km north of Bangkok, Chiang Mai is Thailand’s second largest city, and its increasingly metropolitan air is acting as a magnet for those in the creative industries. The neighbourhood of Nimmanhaemin, in the north…
Savoir Faire is a creative agency that, with its own in-house record label Bromance, takes a holistic approach to pushing the best in French electronic music and pop. It’s an outlook that suggests the music industry is…
Melbourne is unique for its layered offering. Makers and indie bookshops shimmy up to live-music venues, and cutting-edge galleries nestle neatly into residential neighbourhoods. And that’s before you mention the abundance…
Berlin’s unemployment rate is dismal and its once-thriving industry is defunct. But the abandoned warehouses and power stations now provide a home for galleries and studios that are leading the European avant-garde. Monocle…
The collapse of Iceland’s banks is sending shock waves through the nation. Job losses and mortgage increases are common complaints on the streets of Reykjavik. But though the mood is bleak, some creative Icelanders are…
The inspiration for this venture came about either in the living room of my Aunt Anita’s house in Toronto 32 years ago or around a table at Die Brücke in Hamburg circa 1991. Regardless of dates and location, the spark was…