1. Sri Lankan Art, Edinburgh
Sri Lankan art is in the spotlight at Edinburgh’s Summerhall arts venue this month. As part of this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Colombo Art Biennale will present Return: In Search of Stillness, which features 14 of Sri Lanka’s finest contemporary and installation artists. The exhibition line-up includes Rajni Perera’s Greed, one half of her Royal Couple diptych; photojournalist Abdul Halik Azeez’s intimate portraits of life on the island; and dance performances by Venuri Perera.
2 August-24 September, festival17.summerhall.co.uk
2. Maikos, Kyoto
Get up close and personal with Kyoto’s maikos (geishas in training) in Secret Moments of Maikos, a new book by Philippe Marinig. The French photographer (who’s previously trained his lens on Japan’s sumo wrestlers) captures the artistry – and anxiety – of the practice, which includes tea ceremonies, traditional music and dance performances.
3. Winter melon soup, Hong Kong
August in Hong Kong means sweat, sweat, sweat – so you’ll find Hongkongers slurping double-boiled winter melon soup to beat the heat. Find a traditional bowl at Lin Heung on Central’s Wellington Street (or try three-Michelin-starred Lung King Heen’s version at the Four Seasons). Make it yourself with Miele’s A Traditional Taste cookbook, packed with classic Cantonese recipes for all seasons, out this month.
4. The solar eclipse, The US
Things Nasa is good at: space travel, sending rovers to Mars – and designing fun posters. This one celebrates the solar eclipse this month that will darken skies (for up to two minutes and 40 seconds, depending on location) all the way from Oregon to South Carolina in the US. Check Nasa’s website for a map of the eclipse path and a link to download this poster.
21 August, eclipse2017.nasa.gov
