British Council in Austria

22/10/2026

🗣️ ‘You can’t leave it for others to decide if you belong; you have to decide for yourself that you belong in this place, in this way.’ - Lubaina Himid, the artist behind Predicting History: Testing Translation, our British Pavilion commission for the 61st International Art Exhibition at the Venice Biennale 🗣️

Lubaina Himid Studios is an intriguing mix of artist’s workshop and gallery space – upstairs the former and downstairs the latter. Sharing the space with soundscape designer Magda Stawarska – whose bucolic meadow and oceanic sounds are an integral part of the installation – Himid is able to work both in collaboration and isolation, depending on what part of the process she is in. We sat down with Lubaina to discuss the installation’s themes, her methodology and what she hopes an audience takes away from this body of work at this year’s British Pavilion.

Watch the full interview: https://ow.ly/OA9o50ZYR5P

British Pavilion Artist 2026: Lubaina Himid
Shane Akeroyd Associate Curator: Ese Onojeruo
Soundscape created in collaboration with Magda Stawarska

📹: Zachary Hyland
Visual identity: TEMPLO

21/10/2026

Have you ever been told your accent is 'wrong'?

The idea of a 'correct' English accent has an interesting history. Our Voices Magazine traces where the idea of a ‘correct’ accent came from and explores how growing up in a global, online world is influencing the way young people sound today.

It's a great read whether you're a language lover or just curious about how we speak. Take a look:

You might have been told your accent holds you back. Science says otherwise, but how did we come to judge each other by the way we speak?

20/10/2026

When you have to give a presentation, how do you feel: nervous, excited or a bit of both?

Tell us in the comments, then look through three body-language tips to help you appear more confident in front of any audience.

Find more speaking practice on our website: https://ow.ly/eOOF50ZYr0c

17/10/2026

Our World, Connected, our award-winning podcast, is back for season four!

Join host Christine Wilson, our Director of Research and Insight, as she meets experts and changemakers from around the world to discuss the most pressing issues of our time.

Hear big ideas and personal stories about what connects us: from stories across borders to AI and the changing nature of soft power.

Listen on your favourite platform.

16/10/2026

English teachers!
Join us on 23 October 2026 for two inspiring webinars on English teacher well-being and professional development ideas.

You can watch the event live on Facebook or YouTube, or register to join on Zoom.

🗓️ Date: 23 October 2026
12.00 UK time

👉 Register now: https://ow.ly/Nfkk50ZWJCY

16/10/2026

Hands up if you like going to cafés. 🙋☕️

Here are some things you might see! Have we forgotten any?

15/10/2026

Where do you want your career to take you?

Designing direction: aligning career decisions with life purpose.

Most career advice is about how to progress: applications, networking, skills. This interactive webinar starts with a different question: where do you want that progress to lead?

Alumni UK webinar
📅 Wednesday 21 October 2026 | 13:00–14:00 BST | Online

In one hour, Emerson Resende, founder of Zeno Life Plan and a University of Edinburgh Business School alumnus, will introduce a practical four-step framework for connecting your career choices with your values and the life you want to build. You'll work through its four stages (Fulfilment, Assets, Objectives and Purpose) using structured reflection exercises.

You'll come away with:
• A clearer sense of what matters most to you, and how it can shape your career decisions
• Long-term goals and priorities you've identified for yourself
• A framework you can return to whenever you face a big decision

This session is for you if you're:
• Rethinking your longer-term career or life direction
• Navigating a career change or an international opportunity
• Looking for a closer fit between your work and your values

About the speaker
Before founding Zeno Life Plan, Emerson Resende spent 15 years in climate finance and policy within the United Nations system, living and working in 11 countries. He has mentored University of Edinburgh students for more than 15 years, and Zeno Life Plan has delivered programmes for organisations including the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund.

Open to international graduates of UK higher education.

🔗Register for free: https://joinalumniuk.britishcouncil.org/event-registration?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=organic_social&utm_campaign=cehighereducation-alumni-alumniuk-skills-series

15/10/2026

Preparing for IELTS shouldn’t mean piecing together tips from a dozen different sources and hoping you’ve got everything covered.

IELTS Ready Premium gives you full practice tests, expert-led webinars, focused skill-building exercises and a personalised study plan.

Book your test with the British Council and get IELTS Ready Premium free!

Find out more: https://ow.ly/5sW350ZWsok

⁣

14/10/2026

Building a sustainable future for people, planet and prosperity starts with what we learn – and what we teach. 🌍

Teachers and educators! Join colleagues from across the globe for five weeks of free, facilitated online learning. Explore today’s global issues, discover how local action can make a difference, and take away ideas to help your learners create sustainable futures of their own.

🔗Join the training for free via this link: https://ow.ly/Apq750ZX5MQ

Created by the University of Edinburgh and Learning for Sustainability Scotland, in partnership with the British Council.

British Council
British Council Schools
The University of Edinburgh
Learning for Sustainability Scotland

14/10/2026

🌍 How do you make a home in a new place? That is the central question of Lubaina Himid’s Predicting History: Testing Translation – the British Council’s commission for this year’s 61st International Art Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia 🌍

Through a series of five monumental, multi-panel paintings – alongside several of her ‘kanga’ paintings, paintings on found objects and a soundscape created in collaboration with artist Magda Stawarska – the scenes Himid constructs extend beyond the painted surface into sound, architecture and the careful choreography of how we move, encounter and look.

Room One: In Architects, visitors see architectures from different climates, belief systems and histories.

Room Two: In Tailors, figures measure, cut and assemble garments that seem to move across time.

Room Three: In Chefs, a wash of pink partially fills the space, leaving areas deliberately unpainted, as if awaiting the next gesture.

Room Four: Twenty-one mismatched Oars line one wall of the pavilion.

Room Five: In Boatbuilders, a field of interlocking threads – vibrant orange, flat grey and apricot paints – catches the eye.

Room Six: In Gardeners, botanical illustrations from naturalists’ guides are rendered outsized and theatrical.

Visual identity: TEMPLO
📷: Eva Herzog