As a writer, the key is not so much assembling reams and reams of material, but finding the details that make a period or situation vivid for you and, eventually, for the reader – those few facts which make a sprawling and multi-faceted topic specific enough to relate to and empathise with. - The Conversation
"Current AI systems hold up a mirror to our online minds. Like Narcissus, we can get lost gazing at the reflection, even though it is not always flattering. We ought to ask ourselves: Is there more to these algorithms than mindless copy? The answer is not straightforward." - Nautilus
In cities around the globe – from Algiers, Auckland and Chicago to Hanoi, Mexico City and Seoul – research shows that transforming public spaces markedly affects the diversity of what people do in them, and whether they use them. - The Conversation
One of Rosenberg’s most celebrated essays skewered those whom he dubbed “The Herd of Independent Minds”: scholars and critics who roundly dumped on an ascendant popular culture, claiming it inspired a sameness of thought. - Dissent
"One of Spain's most notorious and costly white elephants, the Ciudad de la Luz (City of Light) film studios in Alicante, is to get a new lease of life 10 years after it was forced to shut by the EU on grounds of unfair competition." - The Guardian
DDP's latest report reflects the first part of the toll the pandemic shutdown took on the troupes — and it shows, yet again, just how skewed expenditures on ballet in the US are toward the 25 largest companies. - Dance Data Project
In order to begin to reclaim orchestral music of the 20th century, John Mauceri poses the following question: “If we put aside the unquestioned priority given to the avant-garde, the next wave, and the constant re-experimentation that gets so much intellectual attention, what does the remainder look like?” - LA Review of Books
"Bosnia and Herzegovina share a painful legacy — yet, today, they live an enduring peace. Cities such as Sarajevo and Srebrenica are now largely reconciled with their history, aided in part by institutions like the Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo and the Srebrenica Memorial Center." - The Art Newspaper
"A raft of productions from Black theatre-makers have been making waves, garnering critical acclaim and exciting audiences. Black writers and directors are relishing telling the stories that they want to tell and are undeterred in getting them on stage. ... This moment has been a long time coming." - The Guardian
Roffey's The Mermaid of Black Conch "joins an impressive wave of recent books by Trinidadian women writers, including Ingrid Persaud's Love After Love and Ayanna Lloyd Banwo's When We Were Birds, which are helping redefine a literature once dominated by noisy men." - Yahoo! (Los Angeles Times)
"Venues and organisations are frantically having to deal with a programming backlog and process delayed projects still 'on the books'. And from the visitor's perspective, there is a kind of 'just do it' attitude – the urge to attend events regardless of the semi-expectation of contracting a COVID variant." - ArtsHub (Australia)
Two hours south of London, Glyndebourne is the oldest and most famous of the summer opera festivals at the historic country homes of the nobility, but it's not the only one. Among the newest (its current incarnation opened in 2017) and best is Grange Park Opera. - The New York Times
Last week, after the Met's chorus posted an item about the company's participation in NYC's Pride festivities, Pape added a borderline-incoherent comment saying he wouldn't be returning to the company. After pushback, including from the Berlin Staatsoper, he issued a public apology and an acknowledgment of his long-rumored alcoholism. - OperaWire
On Monday, their target was Constable's The Hay Wain at the National Gallery; on Tuesday, it was a 500-year-old student copy of Leonardo's The Last Supper. Last week, the young protesters from the group Just Stop Oil did the same thing with works in London, Manchester, and Glasgow. - The Guardian
