“Words are really not so different from sofas and armchairs. They are external objects that do things in the world and, like other objects, they produce effects in our brains and thus eventually, through us, in the world. The only real difference is that, when it comes to what we call thinking, words are an awful lot easier to juggle around and rearrange than bits of furniture.”
Archives for December 2017
How Dance Can Change The Person You Become
“What I know is that dance has made me aware of both emotional and physical empathy. I never fathomed that playing such a wide array of parts in ballet would be a kind of unexpected “cognitive behavioral therapy” that would change patterns in my relation to the real world by forcing me to constantly reevaluate myself and update my perceptions.”
Can Pop-Up Art Clinics Help People Be Healthier?
”You’re doing the art sitting next to people and you start talking to each other. It creates community and is therapeutic in the sense that the hospital becomes less sterile—it gives it a sense of beauty and helps people feel more at peace and connected to others.”
A Tech Pioneer Returns To The Arts As He Learns He’s Going To Die
He had to walk and play at the same time, which was difficult with his impaired sight and depth perception. The orchestra had worked out a plan to cover for him should he suffer any sudden problems onstage. Law and Tyan sensed that, given the importance he attached to “Fiddler,” his decline might accelerate once the play was over. Six weeks after the last performance, he went into hospice care and, less than forty-eight hours later, died
How Very Smart Thinkers Have Been Seduced By Big Brother
Perhaps we should blame it all on Plato. Ever since he introduced his concept of the “philosopher king,” countless intellectuals have been besotted by the notion of finding and working hand in hand with the ideal Big Brother, often with lethal results.
‘Broadcast News’ Is Terrific, But There Was An Disastrous Alternate Ending That Would Have Wrecked It
When the movie was first in previews, audiences wanted Holly Hunter’s newscast-producer character to end up with one of her two guys. So James L. Brooks, against his better judgment, shot a scene to provide that happy-ish ending. As Jane Craig (Hunter) said in another context, “It’s awful.” Jason Bailey explains.
Good Design Is A Public Good (Why Is This So Hard To Understand?)
“The conventional wisdom is that design costs more and is only a luxury. Yet people from all walks of life deserve good design. The power of design to dignify will never be fully explored until average people have some sense that they deserve better.”
The Beloved, Popular Books That Got Rejected Over And Over Again
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was turned down 121 times by publishers; Stephen King’s Carrie, 30 times; Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, 36; Catch-22, 22 times (of course). Emily Temple’s list includes other surprising titles – including (!) The Diary of Anne Frank.
How Traveling To Learn Lost Its Edge
“In a world where travel has lost many of its mental and physical exertions, one meets people who fly thousands of miles to do a bit of shopping in Dubai, to lie on a beach in Bali, or to watch a cricket match in Adelaide… Some travellers travel enormous distances and keep all their preconceptions intact.”
The New York Times Comedy Critic Explains How He Works (And Decides What’s Funny)
Jason Zinoman: “The first question I ask of a show isn’t whether or not it’s funny. Rather, I look to understand: What is the comic trying to do, and how interesting or new is it?”
Christmas Movies Are Really Propaganda For Capitalism
“In Christmas movies, audiences can bank on heartwarming plots where grouches become kind and misers become charitable. But Christmas movies also tend to reinforce the myth of the “good capitalist,” favoring stories about individual virtue over any real social change. The way Christmas movies tell it, the generosity of individuals is sufficient to mitigate the harms of class inequality.”
Let Go Of The Guilt – Science Has Officially Approved The Practice Of Re-Gifting
Kate Wheeling: “It’s that time of year again: The day after Christmas. The holiday-season stress is over; the only thing to worry about now is what you’re going to do with that pair of Sauna Pants from Aunt Midge, who, bless her heart, still hasn’t grown out of her as-seen-on-TV phase. I’m here to tell you that science says you can just give them away. You’re welcome.”
They’re Producing ‘Fiddler On The Roof’ In Yiddish (What Took So Long?)
Lyricist Sheldon Harnick and director Jerry Saks will consult on the New York production by the National Yiddish Theater Folksbiene. And, evidently, the author of the original Yiddish-language Tevye-the-Dairyman stories will be a character.
The First Computer-Generated Christmas Carols Came From Alan Turing’s Lab In 1951
“Now researchers from the Turing Archive at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand have used old recordings to recreate a now-lost 1951 BBC broadcast of a couple of [those] Christmas carols.” (includes sound clips)
Why Is ‘Nutcracker’ So Popular Everywhere? Because It’s So Adaptable
Not only does the scenario offer interpretative possibilities ranging from a simple child-oriented extravaganza to a sexual awakening for young Clara, it has proved flexible enough for localized versions everywhere from China to Hawaii to South Africa. (Not to mention Mark Morris’s trailer-trash Americana.)
A Breakthrough In Deciphering The Incas’ Mysterious Knotted-String ‘Writing’, Made By A Harvard Undergrad
Unlike the Mayans, the Incas never developed a system of writing: they recorded information in intricately knotted and colored sets of string called khipu or quipu. No one in the modern age has been able to figure out how to read them, because there’s no equivalent of the Rosetta Stone. Then, three years ago, then-19-year-old Manny Medrano made a key discovery.
The Forgotten Story Of How Lincoln Center Was Built (It Was An Ugly Business)
“Lincoln Center was the crown-jewel project of the Mayor’s Committee on Slum Clearance, which was overseen by Robert Moses, the man who reshaped the city in the mid-20th century.” As Robert Caro wrote, “Moses was not making even a pretense of creating new homes for the [7,000-plus] families displaced.”
Explaining The New Tax Bill’s Potential Effect On The Art Market
Anna Louie Sussman looks at the implications of the legislation.
Artsy’s 25 People Who Defined Visual Culture In 2017
This year’s list runs from Maria Balshaw (the first woman to head the Tate gallery system); through Dana Schutz and the artists who led the attack on her painting of Emmett Till, the creators of the “pussy hat” and of the Fearless Girl sculpture on Wall Street; down to the photographer who created the pregnant-Beyoncé image – not to mention Beyoncé’s sister, Solange Knowles.
WNYC Firings: What Went Wrong At America’s Biggest Public Radio Station?
Over the past two decades, under CEO Laura Walker and deputy Dean Cappello, New York Public Radio has become known (even more than before) as a programming and podcasting powerhouse. How did things get to the point that three of the station’s best-known hosts were fired within four months? And why only now, when management was aware of the relevant problems for years? A reporter looks into how, as Walker puts it, concerns about growth and content crowded out concern with the people producing the content.
Can The Arts Really Help Repair A Broken, Divided Society? This Research Grant Aims To Start Answering That Question
Intuitively, most of us arts types sense (or at least want to believe) that the answer is yes. Now the Mellon Foundation is funding a study to get real data to back up that answer (or not).
Flooded Stage On Christmas Eve Causes Cancellation Of Berlin’s ‘Nutcracker’
“The Deutsche Oper announced the last-minute cancellations on Twitter, saying that a ‘technical defect’ in the opera house’s fire sprinkler system caused the stage to flood.”
The Church Of Bookstores
“Unless you’re just about to board, bookshop browsing can be a deeper and more untethered exercise than other kinds of shopping. Just opening a book and reading a few lines can draw you partly into another world, one you might not have planned to visit. According to Vancouver publishing consultant Thad McIlroy, only 40 percent of bookstore purchases are premeditated. All the rest are decided on impulse.”
London’s First Permanent Virtual Reality Museum
“VR technology offers a new means of creating and subverting our interaction with an environment, allowing images to become sculptural and encouraging a different kind of attention. 360 will allow visitors to view some of these early and pioneering works produced by artists.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 12.26.17
Al Cohn, Twice
It is neither Al Cohn’s birthday (November 24, 1925) nor the anniversary of his death in 1988. As on any day, it is simply a good time to listen … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2017-12-26