Prime Time 7, Coursebook plus Semester Self-checks

S Unit 8: Art Listening–writing: Selfies and the history of self-portrait photography (B2) a) Listen to a presentation about the history of self-portrait photography. b) Listen again and take notes on the following aspects: • definition of a “selfie” • developments in photography that led to the widespread popularity of selfies • early days of photography • emergence of digital photography • selfies as a means for expressing ourselves c) A teenage blog that you follow has organised a writing contest. You decide to enter a blog post on your photography habits. In your blog post you should: explain current technology in photography analyse the role of photography in nowaday’s world discuss your own photography habits Write around 250 words . Reading–speaking: Art trafficking (B2) a) Read the following article on art trafficking, art and cultural property crimes. 1  20 3.8 2  Antiquities trafficking is one of the most profitable illegal trades in the world. Estimated to be worth several billion dollars a year, it comes in after illegal arms and drug trades. More and more countries are demanding the return of their cultural assets, which are often now the trophies of renowned Western museums. According to a 1970 UNESCO convention they have the right to do so. Art director Markus Hilgert of the Pergamon Museum Berlin, explains, “As a director, I cannot say ‘I don’t know’ when somebody asks me ‘How did your collection actually come into being?’ So my responsibility as director of this museum is to know everything about the objects.” On a daily basis, his team meticulously reviews the files for the 500,000 objects in the museum to ensure that they were legally obtained. The museum stopped acquiring artefacts in the 1930s, 40 years before the signing of the UNESCO convention, which would seemingly protect it from demands for restitution. But that is not the opinion of Turkey, particularly residents of the city of Gaziantep. “From Gaziantep alone, 20 or so objects were plundered and we know the museums where they are now,” says Gaziantep mayor Fatma Sahin. This list includes objects that are on show in the British Museum in London, but also in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. Although they were all acquired before 1970, Turkey wants them back. Like China and Italy, Turkey has made the restitution of its treasures a political priority. Forty or so lawsuits have already been won by Turkey, resulting in the return of more than 4,000 objects. While pillaged nations such as Turkey have a legal framework to demand restitution from other countries, this doesn’t necessarily apply to the private sector, where only the market seems to rule. With the absence of common legislation and with sky-rocketing prices, trafficking has taken on industrial proportions. Today, the internet gives looters anonymity and direct access to buyers without the burden of proof of origin or legal documents. Among the thousands of artefacts from around the world that have been stolen or traded in dubious ways, there are a few that are particularly well known. It has been 200 years since the Greek Parthenon Marbles were taken from Athens by a Scottish lord and sold to the British government. They now sit in the British Museum. But the Greeks say they were removed illegally and should be returned. Then there is Egypt’s Rosetta Stone, discovered by a Frenchman and later acquired by the British, as well as its bust of Queen Nefertiti, discovered by a German archaeologist, which now sits in a Berlin museum. The Egyptian government wants both pieces returned. Other disputed artefacts include the Indian Koh-i-Noor diamond, one of the largest in the world. It was taken by Britain’s East India Company and presented to Queen Victoria. 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 164 Semester self-checks Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv