Florence McCrae

In the past 137 years, the Metropolitan Opera has been through rather a lot. This year can now be included in the history books as its most challenging yet, in light of the decision to cancel of the fall season as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak. This marks the longest hiatus in the company’s history, with no clear end point in sight.

Taika Waititi, the Oscar-winning director, has been recognised on New Zealand’s Queen’s birthday list for services to film. Waititi, director of Jojo Rabbit, one of last year’s more controversial releases, has been made an officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

With the success of this weekend’s SpaceX Nasa Mission, it seems another generation of children who hope to become astronauts is on the cards. Yet for institutions like the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum a different challenge faces them back on earth – how best to engage with children when tactile exhibits are no longer possible.

For Alistair Carmichael, returning to Westminster for tomorrow’s reopening is more complicated than the tube journeys of some of his peers. Carmichael, the Lib Dem MP for Orkney and Shetland, will have to travel 18 hours to return to London, a journey that comprises of two trains and a plane. He is just one of many MPs protesting the government’s decision to reopen parliament in the eleventh week of lockdown.

1984 is perhaps better associated with Orwell than with the contemporary arts. Yet the year is of particular significance in the modern art world – it saw the foundation of the Turner Prize, an award, according to the Tate “formed to encourage wider interest in contemporary art and assist Tate in acquiring new works.” Yet another casualty of Covid-19, it was revealed earlier this week that the 2020 incarnation of the prize was to be cancelled, and that the prize money used as artist bursaries instead.

Building is something architects are well accustomed to. Indeed, their role demands a well-developed knowledge of the field. However, the kind of rebuilding that Covid-19 requires is, to use one of the most overused words of the pandemic “unprecedented”.

Perhaps the age-old adage, twos company, threes a crowd was made for the outbreak of Covid-19. Indeed, our redefined understanding of what social distancing means, has impacted any and all spheres, from public transport to buying milk. Music critic for The Telegraph, Neil McCormick, feels the impact of Covid-19 most acutely in the reformed gig circuit. His scathing piece for the paper leaves us under no illusion as to which side of the fence he sits.

On 1 May, the governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, allowed all museums in Texas to reopen at 25 per cent of their former capacity. Now, almost a month later, institutions across the state have taken the decision to reopen, introducing previously unthinkable measures to ensure the safety of their visitors.

Being taken to court by the President of the United States is perhaps not the first thing one expects to happen when creating a cartoon. Yet Pulitzer prize winning cartoonist, Nick Anderson, seems to have taken his quite unique situation in his stride.

It is safe to say, Ai Weiwei is a fan of sunflowers more than most. Indeed, his installation in the Tate Modern Turbine Hall almost a decade ago of 100 metres of hand painted sunflower seeds is perhaps one of the most prominent horticultural gigs of recent memory. Now, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Weiwei has turned his attention to replicating sunflower seeds in another form – on face masks.

For the past century, the last night at the Proms has been one of the highlights of the cultural calendar. Now, amid the outbreak of Covid-19, it is unclear precisely how the Royal Albert Hall intends to cope with the brave new world in which they find themselves.

First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has announced that people in Scotland are now able to meet members of their family and friends following an ease in the country’s lockdown rules.

The government’s current response to Covid-19 is unlikely to receive a standing ovation from theatrical companies. This is in part due to the fact there has been a failure to respond with due financial support for such bodies, but perhaps more due to the fact that unless such considerable measures are taken, there will simply be nobody left to clap.

Alessandro Michele is a change maker. Yesterday the creative director of Gucci announced the unthinkable to fashion world – as of next year, the house will only undertake two shows as opposed to their usual five.

The prime minister has ruled out an inquiry into the conduct of Dominic Cummings, instead claiming that it was time to “move on” from the debate.