Richard Brody: “Being a critic used to mean, basically, waiting for a movie to be released theatrically in one’s city, going to a screening of that film, and writing a review that got published on or near the time of that release.” Not anymore.
You Can Use Science To Explain Art. But That Just Creates Problems.
“Take a famous writer, preferably one with some marketing mojo, and argue that their work anticipates contemporary scientific insights. There is only one problem with this approach: it is intellectually bankrupt.”
‘I Am a Homosexual, Mum’
Kenyan author Binyavanga Wainaina has styled his eloquent coming-out essay as a “lost chapter” of his 2011 memoir, One Day I Will Write About This Place.
Artists Of The VERY Far North
“The North remains the source of such stuff as dreams are made on.”
How Do We Make Art When Everyone Is Always Onstage?
Carrie Brownstein, of Sleater-Kinney and Portlandia fame: “Births, deaths, celebrity mug shots, piano-playing kittens, children we don’t know engaging in wackiness, war, poverty, photos of salt shakers and table sets, tales of the mundane, puns: This is all funneled and flattened, much to our delight and convenience, of course.”
Expelled Film Critic Isn’t OK With The Expellers
“In [Armond] White’s view, the expulsion was symptomatic of what he sees as a group in decline, beholden to studios that help foot the dinner’s bill and reviewers who are unwilling, if not unable, to criticize films as eruditely as he can — and thus they are jealous and vindictive.”
This Woman Transformed Neon From An Advertising Medium To Art
“A builder of large-scale assemblages in a wide range of materials — bronze, aluminum, plaster, wood, canvas, paint, found objects and, in the case of neon, light itself — Chryssa, whose work prefigured Minimalism and Pop Art, was considered a significant presence on the American art scene in the ’60s and ’70s.” She died Dec. 23 at age 79.
Can Theatre Join The Revolution Of A Basic Income For All?
If so, it might fix vicious internal spats – and help creativity flourish without fear.
That Beautiful Place Where Playing Music And Playing Games Converge
“When these so-called ludomusicologists hear selections from the sonic oeuvres of Nintendo or Bungie, they detect strains of creative genius on a par with Tchaikovsky’s allegros. And they’re on a mission to ensure that videogame music is accorded the same respect as Hollywood film scores.”
The Many Adaptations Of My Beautiful Laundrette‘s Hanif Kureshi
“‘That’s what’s great about being a writer,’ he remarks, out of the blue. ‘Every 10 years you become somebody else.'”
There Goes The London Neighborhood, And All Of Its Galleries Too
“Cork Street has been built up over the years and relies on a mix of different galleries. We are the victims of a kind of commercial fascism, where those making decisions based on profit feel they are unaccountable.”
Set Collapses On Theatre Audience In London
“Fuerzabruta’s website describes the show as a ‘mind-blowing, heart-pounding international theatrical experience.'” The set collapse injured three audience members and one of the performers.
After So Many Months, How Did The Minnesota Lockout End?
“Interviews with insiders reveal that a change in personalities, a sense of confidence among musicians that they had found partners they could trust on the other side, and flexibility in the board’s approach produced a contract that will put musicians back on stage.”
Power Architecture Couples, Formerly Friends, Now Divided Over MoMA
One couple built the American Folk Art Museum, and now, a few years later, the other couple (plus a partner) have proposed demolishing it. “Henry Smith-Miller, an architect who studied with Mr. Williams at Princeton, said the fallout resembled ‘Greek drama.’”
Sir Ian McKellen Casually Outs Other ‘Hobbit’ Actors
Hollywood was ready for Sir Ian to come out, but it’s not quite a ‘post-queer’ paradise for everyone.