You probably know this... Maurice Saatchi is the quieter, less flamboyant part of that advertising duo Saatchi & Saatchi, aka Charles' younger brother. Does he collect art? Does he have a wife who seriously cooks? Actually his wife Josephine Hart, the Irish novelist, seriously writes. What we do know is that he in part masterminded that campaign for Mrs. T. Since '98 Maurice has also been the joint chairman of the Conservative Party, having been made a Baron in 1996. The turning point for him and his brother Charles' advertising career was not just masterminding that first Tory campaign, but the over-extension of Saatchi & Saatchi, leading them to be thrown off their own board in '94 before bouncing back with M&C Saatchi. It seems unusual for the Orange word to have an ad-man and politician give a talk in a group that includes Graydon Carter, VS Naipaul and Terry Pratchett but having described his task as "decontaminating" the "Tory Brand", Maurice may yet prove to be the more influential Saatchi. And should he become culture minister, will there be a tax break for art donations?

NB: other speakers in The Orange Word programme include: David Mitchell (16/11), Jon Snow (29/11) and Rory Bremmer (30/11).

"Europe" has hit the headlines in 2004. The EU now includes chunks of Eastern Europe and the Baltic States -- the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Hungary and Poland are among its newest members and the euro is making travel and commerce easier than ever before. Yet, as charted in the book Off Whitehall, for the UK government the question of joining the euro is causing division between Blair and Brown, and Britain's close alliance to the US, together with the fractured European opinion over the decision to go to war in Iraq has placed a serious question mark over the future of the United Nations. This stimulating debate on Europe will explore such issues. Speakers include the associate editor of The Times Anatole Kaletsky, political theorist David Runciman -- author of Pluralism and the Personality of the State, and the philosopher and psychoanalyst Slavoj Zizek, whose recent book is Iraq: The Borrowed Kettle. The discussion will be moderated by BBC Newsnight's Stephanie Flanders. The event forms part of a series of public debates, held at SOAS, to mark the 25th anniversary of the London Review of Books.

NB: the debate is taking place in the Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre. Other participants in this debate include: Stephen Wall (Blair's ex-adviser on Europe now adviser to the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster), Martin Wolf (Blair's associate editor and chief economic commentator of the Financial Times).

Jeremy Deller's work, though dependent on participation, manages to investigate and intervene with social organisation and cultural stereotype in a way that is intriguing with only a hint at a history lesson. With projects such as the parade organised for Manifesta 5, Unconvention and Gold Rush, he challenges the use of space, allowing the experience of art to be inclusive and active, where new things can still happen. A park bench dedicated to Brian Epstein and a mirrorball in a less than salubrious alleyway in Liverpool are a little different to the slightly uncomfortable notion of Public Art. There is a cheeky anti-establishment nature to Deller's approach; he draws us to events that may seem inconsequential and in doing so proves their relevance in our social behaviour. You may assume Acid Brass is a bit of a joke. But think on. As The History of the World 1997-2004 demonstrates: think Ibiza and capitalism, think de-industrialisation and pit bands... Deller has a remarkable talent for drawing out memories leading to a history that won't fit neatly into the picture textbooks. Rather than mocking, Deller's work is a celebration of culture with a small sigh of melancholy.

NB: catch Langlands & Bell's talk on 17/11.

Brighton's independent record label Tru-Thoughts is presenting this special one-off show to record the performances of the Quantic Soul Orchestra, Alice Russell and TM Duke, for a live DVD of their most popular acts. All three bands will perform full sets and this is a rare chance to see them all under one roof. The director will also be interviewing the audience throughout the night. The Quantic Soul Orchestra is a live funk project, strictly no samples allowed! Masterminded by Will Holland in response to his love of dusty funk 45s the concept is to present the audience with a live, raw funk sound with a nod to breakbeat and sample culture. The eleven-piece band has rocked Glastonbury, Roskilde, and was a huge hit on the Main Stage of The Big Chill this year with their crazy jazzed-out beats and hyper percussion. Alice Russell is a fantastic soul vocalist; her off-kilter vocals have already appeared on several of the QSO's album tracks, while TM Duke will be performing with his funk band and DJing throughout the night.

You don't often hear the phrase "famous structural engineer", do you? Which is maybe surprising given that the skills of just a small handful of brilliant engineers and their practices have underpinned virtually every renowned structure of recent times. Forty years ago, the jump from Archigram dreams to British High-Tech was made possible by two men: Peter Rice (one of Ove Arup's founding figures) and Tony Hunt. Hunt was the structural engineer behind a host of key buildings by Foster, Rogers, Grimshaw and Hopkins, and remains a consultant to the practice he founded. The practice itself has moved on with the times -- from the techno-fetishism of Rogers to the fluid forms of Hadid -- but maybe what was most important about Hunt and Rice is how they fundamentally changed the relationship between architect and engineer; from bolt-on service to a true member of the design team.

NB: this lecture will take place at UCL's Lecture Theatre 1 in the Cruciform Building. For those of you that really want some architecture this week but cannot make it to this talk then catch Massimiliano Fuksas chat about the new Milan Trade Fair at the Royal College of Physicians on Wed 10/11.

If Tom and Jerry were to rise from their cartoon graves they would probably barely recognise the modern day toonland. The recent big animated blockbusters of computer-generated illustration (CGI) such as Shrek, Toy Story and A Shark's Tale have created a whole new realm of animated art. Such a combination of artistry and technology stems largely from the pioneering work of Lillian Schwartz in the '70s. Schwartz led a varied career crossing between art, scientific research and even a career in the burgeoning computer empires of IBM and Bell Labs. Her merger of the technological into the sceptic art scene began when she exhibited a kinetic sculpture at New York's MoMA. With inspiration gained from the other pieces in the Machine Exhibition (1968) she embraced a multi-disciplined approach to her work, surrounding herself with scientists, animators, psychologists, art historians and moneymen to produce what was, at the very least, the prototype of modern day CGI, the influence of which blurs the boundaries of the "real" and the "produced" in visual culture. On Thursday Lumen and the Whitechapel Gallery celebrate her work by showing a compendium of her films.

Since Seed first furnished the capital with their forward-thinking electronic music parties, they've evolved into highly acclaimed party promoters and record label. To celebrate their fourth birthday Seed will once again foray deep into the disused bowels of Londinium's legendary Aldwych tube station for an uncultivated weekend of rave action. Friday introduces post-industrial electronic pioneers Coil, whose track "The Lost Rivers of London" provided the inspiration for the tube parties, with a live show in which they play in a new low-key "busking format". In addition, the gorgeous atmospheric soundscapes of Digitonal, with collaborations from ambient vocalist Kirsty Hawkshaw (Opus 3/Orbital), create a sound and live act that's miles away from your stereotypical everyday faceless electronica act. Dr. Alex Paterson plays a more intimate stripped-down live version of The Orb -- Le Petit Orb -- while Seed favourite Rob Hall, mysterious member of the Gescom collective and part of the Skam family, sows a positively damaged collection of aural delights. On Saturday, legendary and reclusive Warp artists B12 play live for the first time in many years; multi-coloured, pop-inspired, discoid mentalist Cursor Minor preview some brand spanking new spazz-funk and fresh from production contributions to Beans' latest album, Jedi Knight, Mark Pritchard will also be appearing. With many more live acts and DJs as diverse as Apparat, Fil Ok, Snapmouth, Maximo Park, Sun Ov and the Wang Collective, London's countless underground tunnels, caverns and passages won't know what's hit them.

NB: this event takes place on both Fri 12/11 and Sat 13/11 nights.

In the early 20th century, we seemed to aspire towards drawings of child-like quality. 100 years on, we have come to discover the joys of a teenage style. Like that other Paul -- Noble, that is -- Paul McDevitt is a world-maker. His dense, obsessive, filled-in, small-scale, colour pencil drawings evoke an eccentric, almost '70sish Superrealist, sci-fi hallucination. With a Technicolor palette and views of spaces, graphics and architectural conundrums, McDevitt's drawings -- inspired by '50s magazines and photographs -- look like the product of an existential teenager. Yet, unlike the world-making of Noble, or the appropriations of Glenn Brown, and more like Brian Wilson's Smile, cultural symbols and landscapes provide the bricolage that McDevitt sucks in to create his world. Besides, how can you argue with a deer getting a blowjob while admiring a sunset or a constructivist satellite overlooking the earth! Is his work limited? Probably... but with parameters as broad as these, it would be quite a while before the machine runs out of steam.

NB: runs till 13/11. While in the neighbourhood pop into sketch for Sylvie Fleury's film and video retrospective (ends 13/11), then pop round to Gagosian on Heddon Street for Vera Lutter's Battersea Power Station project (ends 17/12).

This year's London Jazz Festival continues with its wide offering of diverse acts, with local emerging starts Polar Bear as one of the week's highlights. Astonishing Sebastian Rochford -- seen as one of the most sought-after UK jazz drummers (after he won the Rising Star prize in this year's BBC Jazz Awards) -- will be joined by Mark Lockheart and Pete Wareham on tenor and baritone sax and the also-nominated Tom Herbert on double bass. Having also played this year at the Royal Festival Hall, Seb has increasingly been collaborating with local post-electronica star Leafcutter John and their live merging of electronics with contemporary jazz has been organically put together. With Polar Bear he has released his debut album Dim Lit, and his drumming style is so full of both energy and total control that leading critics have said of him that "he's the coolest looking drummer in jazz and may also be a genius". An evening of new jazz discoveries will be opened by Australian Sanso-Xtro's beautiful multi-instrumental set, also a drummer in her trio Salt. Another LJF delight not to be missed at the Spitz.

NB: the pre-party will be at the Spitz bar from 6pm with DJ Healer Selecta (R2B). This gig is part of London Jazz Festival that runs from 12/11 to 21/11. Also this week check out Cecil Taylor, Bill Dixon and Tony Oxley at the RFH on Mon 15/11.

The idea of a disco boat cannot help but induce a doe-eyed, nautical excitement at the prospect of getting a little twitchy, glitchy and funked up to the sounds on the water. And the Thames is certainly the obvious location for Whistlebump's latest foray into the world of moist entertainment and, quite appropriately, they have a pant-wettingly good DJ to oversee proceedings. Mr. Danny Krivit, legend, connoisseur and stalwart of the New York scene for decades: from the Paradise Garage to Body & SOUL, this man has seen it all and been involved in it all, and yet remains at the top of his game. While keeping up to date and evolving with recent progressions in dance, Krivit's skills and musical direction is underpinned by the funk/soul/disco scene that he emerged from at the start of the '70s. Throughout his career, Krivit has consistently produced re-edits of his favourite songs, resulting in superb versions of tracks by artists as varied as James Brown, Diana Ross, Cymande, Tweet and RSL. Whistlebump always hold quality nights and refreshingly eschew the more commercial approach to partying. Get on the boat and don't believe the hype: dance is not dead.

NB: boat departs pier at 9pm sharp.

My Summer of Love exquisitely evokes the banality and the beauty, the intimacy and the intensity of adolescent relationships. This superbly acted, sensual and bittersweet love story of two lonely, neglected girls unfolds over a lazy, sepia-tinted summer soaked in hazy shades of reds, pinks and oranges. The moment Mona, sprawled on the grass, squints up to see Tamsin, on horseback in a halo of sunshine is the beginning of an enchanted holiday. Rebellious redhead Mona lives above a disused pub while privileged, pretentious, generous Tamsin floats about an ivy-clad mansion. Their two very different worlds collide as they embark on an all too brief affair. They fall in love drowsily as they dance and drink and roam the Yorkshire countryside. In the absence of parents, the only shadow cast over their dream-like summer of tender absorption is by Mona's violent brother Phil, a neophyte Born Again Christian, whose giant cross looms over the valley. The film is an elegiac meditation on the impossibility of recapturing the past and the tragedy of growing up.

NB: My Summer Of Love is currently at cinemas across London.

John Berger wrote Ways of Seeing in 1972, and it's still one of the most widely read course books for students of media and the visual arts. The book's mission is to help the reader identify useful methods of deconstructing images. In doing this, Berger has become one of the foremost thinkers in the visual arts, publishing influential thoughts on the presentation of women in the media, the role of publicity in keeping the capitalist machine humming and one or two strange thoughts about peasants... In a rare London appearance, to celebrate his translation of Nella Bielski's new book The Year is '42, Berger discusses the art and meaning of translation. Translation is an underexplored literary discipline, and to hear such an influential thinker on the subject is reason enough for the curious to attend. Another reason might be to ask him to translate what he meant when he said, "Every city has a sex and an age which have nothing to do with demography. Rome is feminine. So is Odessa. London is a teenager, an urchin, and, in this, hasn't changed since the time of Dickens. Paris, I believe, is a man in his twenties in love with an older woman." And if you don't like what he says, you can always run out screaming "it's not fair" and slam the door.

What a summit of the avant-garde improvisers this promises to be. Love him or hate him, Cecil Taylor needs no introduction, and his appearance is always cause for anticipation among the cognoscenti, but how often do you get to hear him with players of commensurate stature? Anthony Braxton's groundbreaking 1968 album For Alto was not simply the first time anyone had dared to carry over 70 minutes of music on a single unaccompanied saxophone -- brilliantly succeeding --but just the beginning of sonic explorations that still reach the unexpected. Drummer Tony Oxley (along with guitarist Derek Bailey) can with little exaggeration be credited with inventing the British free-improv scene, yet as one-time house drummer at Ronnie Scott's, he can imbue even the furthest reaches of abstraction with visceral propulsion. But the real treat here is the very rare opportunity to sample the intransigent structural lyricism of trumpeter Bill Dixon, one of Taylor's very earliest comrades (their collaborations now span more than fifty years) and much too little recorded. Come and have your ears opened.

NB: this concert is part of London Jazz Festival that runs from 12/11 to 21/11. Also this week check out Plolar Bear and Leafcutter John + Sanso-Xtro at the Spitz on Sat 13/11.

What springs to mind first? Cicciolina the Italian porn star? Inflatable poodles? Michael Jackson with chimp on knee? Jeff Koons is the king of kitsch art and what a swell subject for theatre. However, this is not entirely about the artist himself, but an outrageous bunch of characters: the Cool Chic, the Hot Fox, the Wild Tigress, John the Baptist, Bobby on the Beat, and Cuddly Toy. It travels from the nightclub to the bedroom, to the artist's studio to the street and beyond. It's full of arresting contradictions: about being in the crowd and being alone, about casual sex and enduring love. Award-winning playwright Rainald Goetz took German theatre by storm with Jeff Koons and now ATC bring it to London for the first time under the direction of Gordon Anderson. This very production was awarded the Linbury Biennial Prize for Stage Design for Becs Andrews' work. It don't stop there. The Guardian calls Rainald "the Irvine Welsh of the new generation of German pop writers". We're there!

NB: runs till 27/11.

If you were to describe your dream artist, you'd probably be sketching out video and performance trailblazer Joan Jonas. After all, we all love an old school pioneer with enduring inventiveness and contemporary cachet, someone who's travelled the globe impressing all the right people and, above all, an individual who's made a lorry-sized contribution to the sum of human understanding. American Joan Jonas scores highly on all counts, which means you're in for a quality Tate chinwag and screening. Jonas' early '60s and '70s works formed the building blocks of video and performance art, while recent forays in digital media with composers such as Alvin Lucier prove she's still merrily slicing away at the cutting edge. The artist's CV bristles with international work and plaudits too, spanning Dublin's Museum of Modern Art, the Tokyo International Video Art Festival, the AFI, Amsterdam's Stedelijk Museum and Deutsche Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) in Germany. Best of all, the ever-fascinating theme of self-discovery runs through all of Jonas' output, guaranteeing some startlingly confrontational moments. It's rare that the tag "important and influential" is justified, but in this case it just happens to ring true.

NB: on Wed 17/11 (private view 6 - 8pm) Joan Jonas will also present Mirror Works (1969 - 2004) at Wilkinson Gallery (runs till 23/01/05). She also performs Lines in the Sand at Tate Modern?s Turbine Hall on Tue 23/11 and Wed 24/11 (booking is essential) and will be the subject of a solo show at the John Hansard Gallery (13/11 - 23/12).

Can someone take the marketing people aside at McDonald's, gently shake them by the neck and say, "Look you idiots, look at VW, Beck's and Orange, they are just as bad; cars omit masses of CO2, alcohol is addictive and can kill you, and mobile phones, well, nothing's been proved but there's a lot of people in Devon who ain't keen. Just sponsor some creative industry type event/award and schmack, you're repositioned as the thinking Londoner's burger." Yes, if it wasn't for big brands sponsoring our evenings how would culture afford the entertainment licence? So those fabulous Orange people have come up trumps with The Orange Word, a spectacular display of wordy talent. One of our faves is David Mitchell who is gonna chat with John Wilson. Booker Prize short-listed for his newest novel Cloud Atlas, which "spends half its time wanting to be The Simpsons and the other half the Bible" (Theo Tait, Telegraph), Mitchell is a young, dynamic and ambitious writer. While the rest of us wait for our one big idea, he can mix 10 plots across history and time-zones with vibrant challenges, and still weave into it the little man coming out fighting against the powers that be.

NB: other speakers in The Orange Word programme include: Maurice Saatchi (10/11), Jon Snow (29/11) and Rory Bremmer (30/11).

"Ferocious energy... a performing tour de force," declared The New York Times. We say "Wow!" as the highly acclaimed dance-troupe escape the US for London's turf to present the world premiere of Via Sacra (Sacred Way). Excessively stylistic, sensual and with blade-sharp technical precision, the performers are bound to astound with their fresh and upbeat virtuosity. Choreographed by Elisa Monte (Alvin Ailey, Martha Graham, Batsheva Dance, Ballet Gulbenkian -- she's even been commissioned by Star Trek legend Leonard Nimoy), Via Sacra will prove to be no less than a noble work of vibrant dance from the edge and heart of New York's dance scene. This is a heartwarming and honest work reflecting on loss and recovery accompanied by orchestral and choral music by Bang on a Can. It couldn't avoid being influenced by 9/11, yet at its core is the Greek myth of Psyche and Cupid, putting forth the notion that love can't exist with suspicion and lack of trust. Both personal and universal -- how topical! Highly recommended viewing.

NB: this performance of Via Sacra is the world premiere and takes place on both Tue 16/11 and Wed 17/11.

In its final week at the Whitechapel Gallery is Paul Noble's exhibition of drawings of Nobson Newtown, an eight-year ongoing city-planning project depicted in huge, intricately drawn illustrations, created with the humble pencil. The drawings originally evolved from a font, Nobfont, which still often appears in its blocky, three-dimensional form in the drawings, but is now largely illegible amongst the decaying, usually ruined landscapes surrounding it. The drawings are complex, exploring themes such as birth, death, consumerism and religion, and make reference to artists and illustrators including Robert Crumb, Terry Gilliam and Robert Smithson. Noble is also fond of the baser human interests; group sex, S&M and defecating, which make regular appearances amongst the landscapes. An anus becomes the focal point for the only video piece here, as Noble presents a close-up film of buttocks straining. However, this work seems to lack the subtlety of the drawings, where you could lose hours exploring the scatological, witty and bizarre cityscapes.

NB: runs till 14/11.

Peter Bogdanovich began his career as a critic and that, as such, is a rarity among American film directors. Before he become known as the celebrated auteur of films like The Last Picture Show (1972) and Paper Moon (1974), Bogdanovich was writing about movies in Esquire and other '60s magazines. He interviewed in depth almost all the key directors of Hollywood's golden age, including Howard Hawks, Fritz Lang, John Ford and Orson Welles. These interviews, collected together in the book, Who The Devil Made It, are packed full of marvellous little anecdotes and provide a fascinating insight into the working methods of the greats. Now, in a new companion volume, Who the Hell's in It, he turns his spotlight onto the many actors he has met, worked with, directed and befriended -- the likes of Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, John Cassavetes, Charlie Chaplin, Montgomery Clift, Marlene Dietrich, Henry Fonda, Ben Gazzara, Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, and James Stewart. In what should make for a very entertaining night, Bogdanovich will speak about his personal experiences of these stars and others, on stage at the NFT.

With a White Cube move pending and Timothy Taylor, Haunch, Hauser and Sprueth Magers Lee all already in place, the West End is smelling very sexy indeed. Now, formerly of Bermondsey, Percy Miller have not only moved centrally but have also assembled their "sexiest" show to date. No doubt inspired by Simon Moretti's sense of play, the John Armleder gold wall painting (Mexicanish skull pattern) alongside his instrument painting, a Sylvie Fleury bright pink boa and Moretti's own camouflage quilt-sculpture, sit -- tongue firmly in cheek -- between fashion and design, decoration and art, fashion and art consumption. It is a step up in terms of location but a step down in size, and given the smallness of the space, the achievement is all the greater with this loud yet concise show. Perhaps it is a new statement of intent from the gallery's normally quieter and more considered fare; it certainly announces a more critical and playful boundary for their inaugural programme.

NB: runs till 17/12. Sylvie Fleury also has a film and video retrospective at sketch (till 13/11). While in the neighbourhood, also catch Paul McDevitt at Stephen Friedman (ends 13/11), then pop round to Gagosian on Heddon Street for Vera Lutter's Battersea Power Station project (ends 17/12).

The Glimmers (aka the Glimmer Twins) are no strangers to KultureFlash and for good reason. After making their names running various nights in their native Ghent, Mo and David began knocking out a number of immaculately mixed CDs that made the efforts of Too Many DJs sound like botched teen mixes recorded straight off the radio. Kicking off with the uproarious "Body Language" by Queen, which is as fruity as you'd expect, their latest release slinks stylishly through new wave dust-offs (Alan Vega, Pete Shelley and Roxy Music), contemporary grooves (!!! and Whitey) and perennial style-mag faves (Liquid Liquid and Jungle Brothers). As the title suggests, all tracks have been mixed, looped and occasionally re-edited so as to make them unrecognisable from the originals. You may find yourself nicely grooving to track three until you realise it's a re-edit of Billy Idol's "Hot In The City". How cunning.

To buy The Glimmers click here.

Kenneth Anger (bn. 1930) is iconographic. Those never to have seen any of his films will have heard of Scorpio Rising (1963), and if not that then the classic tell-all Hollywood Babylon now in its second volume (the third being dropped by publishers due to potential lawsuits). Anger made his first film in 1947, aged 17, of a young lad (himself) dreaming of some explicit naughtiness with American sailors. Ahh... the joys of youth... but this homo-erotic short was to be outdone by Anger's highly charged, 30-minute, rock'n'roll biker flick Scorpio Rising, in which his inventiveness, not just in the genre but in the entirety of it's film-making, is to be admired. Considered alongside path-breakers like Maya Deren and Stan Brakhage, it is his work with music and musicians that made a lot of his oeuvre seem to foreshadow MTV's jump-cutting, smash-and-grab style. Finally, with Alice L. Hutchison's volume, this irascible, counter-culture (we should say "kounter-kulture?) icon has an illustrated tome devoted to his work!

To buy Kenneth Anger online click here or buy it through Walther Koenig Books at the Serpentine Gallery (020.7706.4907).

Giveaway: we have one copy of the book to give away. It'll go to one randomly picked Flasher who can tell us the name of the famous song used in Scorpio Rising.