How do we decide to show our bodies speaks volumes about our culture, heritage, past and traditions. A recently published tome by Phaidon is the first book to celebrate the beautiful and provocative ways artists have represented, scrutinized and utilized the body over centuries. “Body of Art” chooses to examine art through that most accessible and relatable lens: the human body. Diverse and multi-cultural, it explores the manifestations of the body through time, cultures and media, while also being visually arresting. Featuring over over 400 artists, the works range from 11,000 BC hand stencils in Argentine caves to videos and performances by contemporary artists such as Marina Abramovic, Joan Jonas and Bruce Nauman, showing the power of human body to express much more than its physical limitation.

There is something striking in the word ‘icon’. In its bold shortness, it bears all the power embedded in the objects and people it defines. The MUDEC Museo delle Culture in Milan has recently opened an exhibition called ‘The Icon’. The exhibition is dedicated to the tall, blonde, America’s sweetheart par excellence – Barbie.

Curated by Massimiliano Capella, the exhibition celebrates Barbie’s 56th birthday, crossing the boundaries between space and time; it showcases about 400 different dolls, and is divided in five sections: the first dedicated to the relationship between Barbie and the fashion world; the second centred on the family, the people who compose Barbie’s ‘clique’; the third showcases the professions which Barbie has taken over during her long life; the fourth looks at the traditional costumes from different countries and cultures that Barbie has worn; the fifth and last section is called ‘Regina, Diva and Celebrity’ and addresses to the popularity and the very features of Barbie as an icon. It is interesting to think about why a museum mainly concerned with ethnography and anthropology would organise an exhibition about Barbie. It is not only a celebration of an icon of pop culture, but a reflection on one of the most recognised and immediate ‘material testimonies’ of almost 60 years of global history.

Thinking about material culture, the first questions that come to mind have to do with its impact both as an object with precise characteristics and as a symbol. What is its agency? What is its power? What are the positive and negative consequences in relating to it, as individuals and as politically and culturally defined groups? At a first glance, the exhibition does not seem to offer a completely exhaustive answer to these questions; it doesn’t seem to problematize the matter, serving as a display more than a reflection on controversial hot-topics related to Barbie – for example the discourse around the body or the fixed idea of beauty that the toy proposes. In a way, this feature, generally recognised as negative, is even praised, precisely by presenting the way in which the doll has become an actual muse for fashion designers. Nevertheless, the display is useful to point out some main themes, some main actions of which Barbie is responsible, in her role of icon. First of all education: the section about careers shows the many possible professions that can be taken up by a woman, responding to the cliché that depicts Barbie as an anti-feminist doll; the section about traditional costumes opens up the possibility of teaching diversity, and to open children to different cultures – even though these traditions are applied to a standardised body.

Highly controversial both as an object and as a symbol, Barbie is one of the images of pop culture, and its force resides in its timelessness and in its ability to adapt to changes and to respond rapidly not only to swifts in taste and fashions, but also in culture in the wider sense of the term. Its evolving nature, well addressed by the exhibition, opens up to further analysis of its ‘dark side’ and, in general, its complexity as a cultural product.

Forced into exile in the United States after Bauhaus’ closure in 1933, Anni and Josef Albers found a curious form of ‘consolation’ for their displacement. Influenced by a museum collection they saw in Berlin, Anni and Josef would travel from their home in North Carolina to South America over the course of their life. Convinced that “art is everywhere” in the countries of Central and South America, they developed a rich personal collection as well as a direct artistic dialogue between their own work and pre-Columbian objects they found. Shaped by their personal and artistic interest, this rich collection is currently part of an exhibition that opened last week at Museo delle Culture in Milan. Titled “A Beautiful Confluence”, the show “reveals the very similar visual and artistic interests and personal passions of Anni and Josef and the native people of the world that became their haven.” The exhibition runs until 21 February 2016.

“The new building has made me more excited and motivated to come in each day. It’s just such a lovely environment to work in.” – one of the students of Burntwood School told the Guardian. With this simple phrase, it is easy to understand why it was Burntwood School to receive the Stirling Prize for 2015. Designed by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM), the project added six new buildings to the existing school campus in Wandsworth, designed in 19532, creating a coherent space of teaching blocks and sports and arts facilities, interspersed with public squares and lawns. The project was awarded not only for its formal architectural qualities, but more importantly, since it serves as a bold reminder for the power of design in education.

How can letters be transformed into words, words into ideas, concepts and thoughts? The latest publishing endeavour coming from Apartamento magazine transforms letters and words into images in a uniquely delightful children’s photo book. Gathered from the magazine’s rich roster of incredible photographic collaborations, the book brings together photographs from Juergen Teller, Wolfgang Tillmans or even Terry Richardson, as literal, yet curious, illustrations of its alphabet. From zucchini to milk, from cats to noses, the photographs are representative of the subtle visual language Apartamento became known for over the years. Apartamento’s co-founder Nacho Alegre explains, “We tried to find pictures that could, through some narrative, involve the kids in a story. The accompanying words ask questions about the images, like what’s behind them and what they make you dream of.”

Can socially-oriented design still exist and what is its role in society today? A possible reply – albeit, weirdly balanced between art, architecture and design – comes from the British collective Assemble. Nominated for this year’s Turner Prize, for their architecture work with the community-led rebuilding of a Liverpool neighborhood following years of dereliction, Assemble have opened “Granby Workshop” – a social enterprise making handmade products connected to the refurbishment of the area. From clay handles to printed fabrics, the project has been set up by Assemble as part of their ongoing work, with proceeds raised going towards further redevelopment of the area.

The UK is certainly not known for great weather. Nevertheless, if you should find yourself in Somerset this Summer, a new design delight awaits. Caro,a lifestyle shop offering objects for life and home sourced from around the globe, has recently opened an outpost in Bruton, Somerset. A growing hub for art and design, Bruton can already count the international gallery Hauser&Worth as one of its attractions. Like international art dealers, Caro’s founders have also fallen in love with Somerset and “wanted to make a new home that shared the objects and moments we all covet in life”. Therefore, if you’re on the look for that perfect design piece, or just look for a nice weekend outing, head to Bruton for a design delight.

“Fashion fades, style is eternal” – just like his famous quote about style, the work of Yves Saint Laurent is eternal, as well, judging by the sheer amount of exhibitions devoted each year to the grand master of fashion. This time, his magnificent work takes centre stage at the iconic Bowes Museum in the UK, in an exhibition titled Yves Saint Laurent: Style is Eternal. Developed in collaboration with the Fondation Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent, it is the first exhibition in the UK to present a comprehensive display of the French fashion designer’s work and life. The YSL show highlights the defining elements of his vision, and the significant influence it has had on fashion and the way we understand womenswear. The exhibition highlights the diverse influences of Yves Saint Laurent and explores a number of themes, from art, lace and transparency, and Masculine – Feminine as well as featuring the different eras and styles of his creative career. Yves Saint Laurent: Style is Eternal will remain on show until 25 October 2015.

How can big brands help the environment? Since the 1990s the cultural establishment has, on one hand, worked on condemning the big brands, while, on the other, it has uncritically worked in their service. Luckily, things have changed, and colossal brands are now – albeit rarely – working on raising the level of awareness with respect to environmental responsibility. One of such initiatives is Selfridges’ “Project Ocean”, which recently featured a design exhibition and a water bar. Curated by Jane Withers in the Ultralounge at Selfridges London, the exhibition brings together works by designers and artists, including Studio Swine, Andrew Friend, Nick Wood and Alice Dunseath, which shed light on the problem of plastic in the sea. At The Water Bar, Arabeschi di Latte reconsiders the everyday ritual of water drinking, inviting us to imagine life without the plastic water bottle. Together these experiences and exhibits aim to show how, through reconsidering how we use and abuse plastic, we can all be part of the sea change.

A distinguished craftsperson, curator, writer, teacher and broadcaster, Emmanuel Cooper first honed his skills through the production of repeat domestic tableware at his London workshops, increasingly expressing his predilection for the more nuanced making of individual artistic pieces. Emmanuel Cooper: Connections & Contrasts, a major exhibition staged at the Leach Pottery’s Cube Gallery, examines his work and career in the context of Leach, especially his relationship to Bernard Leach which began with a speculative letter from Emmanuel, in 1967, and turned full-circle, in 2003, with the publication of Emmanuel’s detailed biography of Bernard. Indeed, Emmanuel became the chronicler of the wider Leach family of potters with books on both David and Janet, making him a central figure in the recent Leach story. The exhibition features nearly 50 pots from the Emmanuel Cooper estate, alongside a small group of his production tableware, and also reveals a more personal side to Emmanuel’s work by showing some of his sketch books and other documents and drawings. There is also an additional display in the Old Pottery with images of Emmanuel throwing, in the late 1960s, alongside pictures of his workshop taken in his absence in 2012. The exhibition will remain on show until 6 September 2015 at the Leach Pottery in St Ives.