Postmodernism defined itself against the stifling clarity and seriousness Modernism. It put style before drab functionality. It embraced pop culture and garish colour. But it got a bad rep. “PoMo” was called vacuous and kitsch, and in the 1980s it became associated with corporate culture and consumerism. Now this controversial cultural movement is the subject of a major exhibition at London’s Victoria and Albert museum, "Postmodernism: Style and Subversion 1970–1990". Neville Hawcock talks to Glenn Adamson, co-curator of the show, and to FT columnists Edwin Heathcote and Peter Aspden. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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London has seen many Hamlets in recent years - David Tennant, Jude Law and Rory Kinnear to name but a few. And now Michael Sheen take the prized role in the Young Vic's new production. Jan Dalley talks to actor Simon Russell Beale, David Lan, artistic director of the Young Vic, and Sarah Hemming, theatre critic for the FT, about the enduring appeal of the troubled Dane. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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From shouts of “he’s behind you” at a Christmas pantomime to truly “immersive” productions in which audience members shape the action, audience participation is rife. The radical Belgian theatre company Ontroerend Goed – known for shows that test theatrical as well as moral boundaries – are now staging their latest play, Audience, at London’s Soho Theatre. Sarah Hemming, FT theatre critic, talks to Matthieu Sys, an actor in Audience, Neville Hawcock, the FT’s deputy arts editor, and the critic Suzi Feay about the changing role of the audience. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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Margin Call, the latest in a line of films on the crash of 2008, depicts a Wall Street investment bank’s last ditch attempts to save itself from impending disaster. Written and directed by first time feature director J.C.Chandor – and starring Kevin Spacey, Demi Moore and Jeremy Irons – The New Yorker called it “the best Wall Street movie ever made”. It’s been marketed as a thriller – but how do you create excitement when the action consists of men in suits peering at computer screens and talking on Blackberries? Does Margin Call have anything new to say on the much-debated causes of the collapse? Andrew Hill, FT management editor, puts these questions to Alex Preston, ex-City trader and author of This Bleeding City; Peter Aspden, FT arts writer; and Leo Robson, film and television critic. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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Author Amy Waldman reads her short story set in Afghanistan 'Mile 54', commissioned by the Financial Times for the new year.  

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The British Film Institute has just launched a season of Woody Allen comedies, ranging from his knockabout beginnings to the recent Midnight in Paris, his biggest commercial success to date. Like Match Point (2005) and Vicky Christina Barcelona (2008), Midnight in Paris was hailed as a “return to form” by some – but has he really still got it? How does his recent output compare to the earlier films? And do those classics still resonate today? Raphael Abraham is joined in the studio by Geoff Andrew, Head of Film Program at the BFI, Peter Aspden, FT arts writer and Nigel Andrews, FT film critic. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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As the winners of the BBC’s Sound of 2012 poll are announced, FT deputy arts editor Neville Hawcock asks three of the judges: who are the real “tastemakers”? What’s more important nowadays, a rave review or hits on YouTube? And how do unsigned artists make it? He is joined in the studio by FT pop critics Ludovic Hunter-Tilney and Richard Clayton, and NME assistant reviews editor and blogger Laura Snapes; music clips from Sound of 2012 winner Michael Kiwanuka, as well as Context, Emeli Sandé and Skrillex. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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The arts podcast reviews new albums by two of the most venerable singer-songwriters around: Leonard Cohen's "Old Ideas" and Paul McCartney's "Kisses on the Bottom". Have they still got it? Does their latest work speak to modern times? And just what are we to make of Macca's album title? Neville Hawcock is joined in the studio by Ludovic Hunter-Tilney, FT pop critic, Peter Aspden, FT arts writer, and Gautam Malkani, FT writer and novelist. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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Jan Dalley is joined by Louis de Bernières, author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, the playwright Mike Packer, and journalist Carl Wilkinson to discuss literary adaptations. At the Oscars this month, six of the nine movies up for Best Picture are based on books – and the film version of de Bernières’ novel Red Dog is released in the UK on February 24. Why are adaptations so popular? Are filmmakers and investors just playing it safe in uncertain times? And how does it feel to see your novel – or play – on the big screen? Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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Ever been to a classical club night or an opera in a warehouse? This week on the arts podcast Jan Dalley talks to her guests about how people consume classical music today. She is joined by Gabriel Prokofiev, composer, DJ and grandson of the Russian composer Sergei; Frederic Wake-Walker, artistic director of pioneering company The Opera Group; and FT writer Laura Battle. With clips from Gabriel Prokofiev's 'Concerto for Turntables and Orchestra', and Elena Langer's 'The Lion's Face', commissioned performed by The Opera Group. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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She's the most successful female recording artist ever – and now, 30 years after her first single, Madonna has released her twelfth album, 'MDNA'. It's already caused a stir, with the video for the opening track 'Girl Gone Wild' banned on YouTube for being 'too raunchy'. But is she still good? What's more important: Madonna the brand or the artist? And, at 53, should she really be wearing those hot pants? Neville Hawcock puts these questions to FT writers Lucy Kellaway, Ludovic Hunter-Tilney and Richard Clayton. With clips from 'Girl Gone Wild', 'I'm a Sinner' and 'I'm Addicted'. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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Ahead of the Victoria and Albert museum’s new exhibition 'British Design 1948-2012', Jan Dalley asks: can great design build a better society? Can Britain be called a leader in the field when its manufacturing industry is all but dead? And are we doing enough to foster a new generation of artists and designers? She is joined by the furniture designer Matthew Hilton, co-curator of the V&A show Christopher Breward, and FT arts writer Peter Aspden. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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Nelson Mandela once said, “Somehow, Shakespeare always seems to have something to say to us.” This year, the bard is saying it in 37 languages. Globe to Globe, a six-week festival starting on April 21 at Shakespeare’s Globe in London, presents all 37 of Shakespeare's plays, each by a different international theatre company. But what is lost in translation? Can other countries really do Shakespeare better than Britain? And how do the plays relate to the world today? Jan Dalley is joined by Dominic Dromgoole, artistic director of the Globe; Professor Robert Grant, formerly of Glasgow University; and Peter Aspden, the FT’s arts writer. Roger Granville, producer of the Dari Persian "The Comedy of Errors" from Kabul, joins down the line. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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In 1919 Walter Gropius founded the Bauhaus school in Weimar, Germany "to create the new structure of the future". Its teaching combined fine art with craft, and its adherents saw design as the key to a better way of life. Were its utopian aims misguided? What is its relevance today? On the opening of a major exhibition at the Barbican Centre in London, Neville Hawcock puts these questions to Lydia Yee, co-curator of the show; Edwin Heathcote, FT architecture critic; and Peter Aspden, FT arts writer. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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From Dickens’ London to Wordsworth’s Lakes via the painter George Shaw’s suburban “edgelands”, the British landscape has long permeated writing and visual art. On the opening of the British Library’s exhibition Writing Britain: Wastelands to Wonderlands, Jan Dalley talks to the poet Owen Sheers; the exhibition’s curator Jamie Andrews; and FT art critic Jackie Wullschlager. The travel writer Robert Macfarlane is on the line. Plus, Faber's 1998 recording of Harold Pinter reading his poem “Joseph Brearley 1909-1977” © Faber & Faber Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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Hip hop may have started in the Bronx, but today’s rappers are millionaires with business empires that extend way beyond music. Ahead of Jay Z and Kanye West's European tour of their joint album Watch The Throne, Raphael Abraham talks to FT critics Ludovic Hunter-Tilney and Richard Clayton about the evolution and future of rap. With clips from The Sugarhill Gang, Jay Z and Kanye West, Evidence and DJ Shadow. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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In 1926, LP Hartley called The Great Gatsby “an absurd story”. Now, it is hard to imagine that F Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel was ever considered less than a masterpiece. And it seems particularly popular in our recessionary times – with the remarkable eight-hour play Gatz having had rave reviews in York, and now about to open in London; and Baz Luhrmann’s film version starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan released later this year. Jan Dalley talks Gatsby mania with Sarah Churchwell, Professor of American Literature at the University of East Anglia; Mark Ball, artistic director of the London International Festival of Theatre; and the critic Matt Trueman. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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Forget “London 2012”, this summer it’s all about the 1990s – with the Stone Roses reunion gigs, Suede headlining the Hop Farm festival, and Blur playing the Olympics closing ceremony gig. As 40-something fans relive the glory days of “Cool Britannia”, FT pop critic Ludovic Hunter-Tilney looks back at the renaissance of British rock 20 years ago, and asks – was it all it was it cracked up to be? And what is its legacy? He is joined in the studio by Richard Clayton and David Cheal. Featuring music from the Stone Roses, Oasis, Blur and Pulp. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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The Olivier award-winning playwright Simon Stephens is often drawn to dark subjects. “Pornography” tackled the 2005 London bombings; “Punk Rock” depicted violence at an English private school; and his controversial recent play “Three Kingdoms” shed light on the European sex trade. Now, Stephens’ adaptations of two classics – one old, one new – are about to open in London: a rewriting of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House and a dramatisation of Mark Haddon’s novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. He talks to Jan Dalley and Sarah Hemming. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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Spoken word is a form of poetry usually written to be performed in front of an audience, and often associated with hip hop culture. In recent years its popularity has soared in the UK – and now, as part of the London Literature Festival, the Southbank Centre is hosting the final of “Shake the Dust”, a national poetry slam for teenagers. So, what’s the difference between “page” and “stage” poetry? Does spoken word have a political bent? And can poets hope to change anything? Jan Dalley puts these questions to the poet, rapper and playwright Kate Tempest; poet and artistic director of the “Shake The Dust” Jacob Sam-La Rose; and critic Suzi Feay. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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The Cultural Olympiad spans four years and encompasses more than 500 events – culminating with the current London 2012 Festival. This unprecedented artistic marathon has cost a reported £97m – but is it worth it? Jan Dalley puts this question to Sarah Weir of the Legacy List, a post-Olympic charity for arts, culture, education and skills; William Sieghart, founder of the National Poetry Day and of Winning Words, a national project to incorporate poetry in the games; and Peter Aspden, FT arts writer. Produced by Nicholas Spencer  

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Can art fulfill the purpose of religion in a pluralist, secular society? Can we reconcile religious dogma with individual artistic creativity? FT arts editor Jan Dalley discusses the long and sometimes fraught relationship between religion and art with Alom Shaha, physics teacher, film-maker and author of "The Young Atheist's Handbook", history painter Tom de Freston, and art critic Richard Cork. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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Documentary films are breaking UK box office records and are, arguably, having more success than ever before. As "The Queen of Versailles", one of the hits of this year's Sundance Film Festival, heads for UK cinemas, Raphael Abraham discusses the new appetite for reality with critics Nigel Andrews and Leslie Felperin  

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It's 100 years since the birth of Woody Guthrie, bard of the Great Depression, storyteller of genius, and huge influence on Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and the rest. Billy Bragg, whose upcoming tour plays tribute to Guthrie; Tom Paley, veteran folk musician; and Mojo journalist Colin Irwin discuss this remarkable man and his legacy with Richard Clayton, FT pop critic. With clips from Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land” and “Pretty Boy Floyd”, Billy Bragg’s “My Flying Saucer” (set to lyrics by Guthrie), and the title track from Tom Paley’s new album Roll On, Roll On. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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As the 10th edition of the London Design Festival launches, designer Tom Dixon, London Design Museum director Deyan Sudjic and designer and online thinktank founder Rabih Hage discuss its impact with FT architecture critic Edwin Heathcote  

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As the 10th edition of the London Design Festival launches, designer Tom Dixon, London Design Museum director Deyan Sudjic and designer and online thinktank founder Rabih Hage discuss its impact with FT Architecture critic Edwin Heathcote  

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Thinking differently is what makes Bowie stand out in the noisy world that killed off HMV. And it will be the key skill in the disembodied cultural universe of the future, says FT arts writer Peter Aspden.  

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Based on a novel by Peter Stephan Jungk, 'The Perfect American' is the story of one of the 20th century's biggest entertainment moguls. The FT's arts writer gives his verdict on the work's premiere at the Teatro Real, Madrid.  

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With "The Rite of Spring" in Paris and the Armory Show in New York, 1913 was a key moment for modernism. But it also marked a turning point in Britain's attitude to its past, says the FT's culture columnist  

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The FT's arts writer reports on Mat Collishaw's transition from conceptual shock artist to ‘proper’ draughtsman - and why, unlike revolution or virgin birth, an economic recession makes a poor subject for art  

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The German band’s shows at Tate Modern were wildly oversubscribed. But hot tickets and artistic pleasure don’t necessarily go hand in hand, says the FT’s arts writer  

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With his brother Jake, the British artist has tackled some of modernity’s grisliest themes. The FT’s arts writer finds out why he’s now trying his hand at music  

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Like it or not, the vibrancy of London’s art scene is due in part to the efforts of marketeers, public relations teams and great coffee shops, says the FT’s arts writer,  

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‘Robot and Frank’ paints a benign picture of silicon-based life-forms. But the film’s ‘near-future’ setting is one that often wrong-foots screenwriters  

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As a stage version of the classic BBC sitcom comes to London, the FT’s arts writer reflects on the series’ pioneering mix of comedy and drama  

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The emirate’s contemporary arts event considers some thorny regional issues in a deceptively laid-back way, says the FT’s arts writer  

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We love French culture, yet according to a recent study there’s something in it that makes the French miserable. But every nation’s artistic mindset has its drawbacks, argues the FT’s arts writer  

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Even at a time of economic hardship, crowd-funding schemes could be a money-spinner for the arts because of the way they play on human psychology, says the FT’s arts editor  

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As performance artist Marina Abramovic showed, the paradox of our digital age is our hunger for personal presence, says the FT's arts editor  

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Artists responded vigorously to the confrontational politics of Margaret Thatcher’s premiership – but the vivid creativity of the time had its roots in an earlier era, argues the FT’s arts editor  

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Doha’s aspiration to become a global centre for culture is admirable – its squeamishness over ancient Greek sculptures less so, says the FT’s arts writer  

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As a new documentary profiles the soft rock megastars, the FT’s arts writer reflects on their dramatic fall from grace – and their enduring appeal  

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Europe’s film-makers want protection from the might of Hollywood. That’s understandable, argues the FT’s arts writer, but also wrong-headed: the two traditions are deeply intertwined  

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As Margate’s Turner Contemporary gallery celebrates curiosity, the FT’s arts writer does his best to concentrate on the mind’s ability to wander  

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The praise lavished on football’s retiring greats has been wildly overblown, says the FT’s arts writer. Other cultural pursuits are far worthier of grown-ups’ attention  

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Pre-first world war Vienna has some curious parallels with Spain today  

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The thought of French purists fretting over ‘les snackbars’ has long-tickled English-speakers  

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Where there is a public clamour for explanation, writers and artists should be unafraid to step in, says the FT's arts writer  

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Countries are vying to project their worth through art, sport and broadcasting. But ‘soft power’ is not always easy to control, says the FT’s arts writer  

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Visa problems and nervousness on the part of potential sponsors have made life hard for London’s festival of contemporary Arab culture. But as the Arab Spring gives way to harsher realities, such forums are needed more than ever, says the FT’s arts writer  

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