“It does not matter whether the new machines never achieve full human-like consciousness, or even real intelligence, they can almost certainly achieve just enough to do your job – not as well as you, perhaps, but much, much more cheaply.”
So Who *Is* The New President Of The Kennedy Center? Meet Deborah Rutter
Says one former colleague, “She has great skills at bringing people together, keeping conversations at a very, very high strategic level, and not getting bogged down in the weeds. She has a wonderful graciousness about handling divergent points of view.”
Bram Stoker’s Great Grandnephew And A Dutch Nude Art Photographer Say They’ve Found The Site Of Castle Dracula
They’re serious. (They’re even working on a Dracula travel guide.)
A Rebellion At The Venice Architecture Biennale
“As a result of this unanticipated and welcome rebellion, this year’s Biennale offers an unforgettably wide-ranging, if scattershot, survey of modern and contemporary architectural history that will forever demolish the popular notion of what modernism in architecture was.”
Where Will The Arts Be In 20 Years? Michael Kaiser Predicts …
“We are at the beginning of a major change in the way people receive their arts, and I believe online will become the source and a major competitor to live arts. And it appears to me that we will see a bifurcation of arts organizations, with the large ones, who will make revenue based on selling performances online, and local organizations who service the community. I am very nervous about the midsize regional organization.”
How Heiner Goebbels Got Harry Partch’s Insane Magnum Opus Onto The Stage
“Partch’s masterpiece is the bizarre 1960s music drama Delusion of the Fury. It is outlandish and magnificent and … if it is hardly ever staged that’s because it can’t be: it requires its very own orchestra of hand-built instruments, each one specially invented by Partch to play his unique microtonal music.” But Goebbels – who has created a few insane music-theater spectacles of his own in his day – pulled it off.
Are Experimental Films Elitist? (Nope)
“British experimental film has a long tradition of engagement with political and social issues and this goes against a common misconception: that the art form is irrelevant to mainstream audiences. … BBC Culture’s Rebecca Laurence discusses trends in British experimental film with the London Film Festival’s Experimenta programmer, Helen de Witt.” (video)
UK Government Hopes Tax Relief Will Revitalize Touring Theatre
“The major new tax relief scheme was confirmed by the government earlier this year and means that from Monday, touring shows can apply for 25% relief and non touring productions will be eligible for a 20% tax credit on qualifying production costs. It will apply to plays, musicals, opera, ballet, dance and circus shows and is expected to bring in up to £120 million for touring and commercial productions in future years. It is expected to benefit around 250 production companies a year.”
Today’s Pop Musicians Think Classical (And Think Nothing Of It)
“What isn’t so radical any more is the notion of a rock or pop artist composing so-called serious music. Beethoven no longer rolls over in his grave. Rather, he’s propped up on one elbow listening to Radiohead.”
A Celebrated Young Playwright Deals With The Pressure By Succeeding
“But when you’re young, gifted, gay and black and the theatrical world is toasting you as the next great one, it makes sense to proceed with caution. You never know when the fickle star-making gods will turn on you.”
The Academy Plans To Recognize Miyazaki, Whether Or Not He’s Really Quitting Films
“Miyazaki is the first Japanese filmmaker to receive a lifetime achievement award from the organization since 1990.”
Will Our Digital Future Be Virtual – Or Integrated?
“Interfaces will migrate away from our handheld devices to hard surfaces like walls, countertops or even products themselves, making it possible to access information through gestures or spoken commands.”
Look, Great Art Belongs In The Capital, Not The Provinces
“I didn’t invent London. It has dominated British culture since the 18th century and has never exerted more global cultural power than today. Tourists from all over the world are flocking, right now, to London for its renowned galleries. It is a stage on which artists are made and ruined.”
When An Office Group Sings Together, Apparently It’s Good For Just About Everyone
“London, long a choral capital, is setting the tone with law firms, banks, accountancy firms, tech firms, even cosmetics giant L’Oréal now featuring company-supported choirs. A number have set up Google-style music rooms, and some even offer music lessons during the workday.”
When Author Ralph Ellison Met The Love Of His Life (For A While)
“She had barely hit city limits when he telegrammed, YOUR SILENCE PREVENTING WORK. WIRE ME EVEN IF MIND CHANGED. Fanny replied, NOTHING HAS CHANGED. I AM THE SAME AND LOVE YOU.”
In Our Era Of Digital Everything, Are We Losing Our Sense Of Touch?
“Touch is the most intelligent sense, Aristotle explained, because it is the most sensitive. When we touch someone or something we are exposed to what we touch. We are responsive to others because we are constantly in touch with them.”
How The Brain Decides To Trust Another Human
“Knowing whether or not to trust someone is so critically important that we can tell whether a face is trustworthy before we even consciously know it’s there.”
In California, Legislators Plan To Triple Tax Credits For Hollywood
The legislation “would increase funding for the state’s film incentives to $330 million a year for five years, a substantial boost from the $100 million a year currently allocated under the film program.”
When TV Shows End, Things Can Go Wildly Wrong – This Is Why
“Ending a television show is not like ending a movie. The creator hasn’t asked the audience to join in on their world for two or three hours, they have brought that audience along with them to the finishing line for years.”
Why Isn’t Portland’s Diversity Reflected In Its Theatres?
“A movement to create theater that reflects the changing demographics of Portland has been picking up steam for years now, and by some measure appears to be working. So is Portland theater in good shape? Does it have a ways to go? Where are culturally specific theater groups in the mix?”
MPAA’s Movie Ratings Are Capricious And Odd (The Latest Example)
“MPAA ratings administrators have always resisted strict rules and regulations when determining what instances and degrees of rough language, nudity and violence can lead to a PG, or PG-13, or R, or the supremely rare NC-17. Narrowing this to the language question, these variances nonetheless are chaotic at best.”
Did Peter Gelb Exaggerate The Met’s Budget Issues?
“Either Mr. Gelb exaggerated the company’s plight as a negotiating tactic, or the unions ate his lunch. If he was exaggerating, then he’s made a fatal mistake.”
An Aboriginal Dance Company Explores Australia’s Cultural History
Bangarra Dance Theatre is Australia’s most famous indigenous performing arts group, popular at home and overseas. Supporters argue that it gives today’s indigenous Australians an important way to retell and process their own history – not to mention providing all-too-scarce employment for aboriginal performers. “[But] some critics have described Bangarra’s liberal use of traditional indigenous dance spiced up with modern moves as a Disneyfication of aboriginal culture.”