Social psychologist Chris Cocking looks at the impressively orderly response of the people in the Apollo Theatre when the ceiling collapsed – and sees more evidence of what his profession calls “social attachment theory”.
Where Illuminated Manuscripts Really Began
“Evidence has emerged for a previously unknown school of painting in sub-Saharan Africa that may have been responsible for the earliest Christian paintings in manuscripts.”
Show At London’s Collapsed-Ceiling Theatre Cancelled Until New Year
“Nimax Theatres has confirmed that all performances of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time [at the Apollo Theatre] have been cancelled until and including January 4, 2014.”
Why Are So Many West End Theatres In Such Bad Repair?
“Actually, they were largely quite flimsy to start with, and for good reason: the buildings were never expected to last.”
Where They’re Turning The Police Blotter Into Literature
This town’s daily newspaper has just released a second paperback of police stories under the title, We Don’t Make This Stuff Up. (No, it’s not in Florida. Who’d believe what goes on down there?)
The Problem With Reality TV? Um…
“The particular problem for the TV industry is that it’s trying to profit off the same cultural tensions it’s exploiting. That inevitably leads to problems such as the current one engulfing Duck Dynasty.”
Even If Apple’s FreakyCool New HQ Gets Built, Will Workers Care?
“Its ambition is to be a marvel of modern architecture. … But there’s a problem.”
Lichtenstein Foundation Gives Thousands Of Works To Major Museums
The trove of about 200,000 photos and associated items – mostly photos of artists – will be distributed to the Getty in L.A., the Museum of Modern Art in N.Y., the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the National Gallery of Art in D.C., and the Tate in London.
Photographer Maps Canada, In Lego Form
“The project is not officially endorsed by the Lego company.”
These Kids Re-created ‘Hamlet’ – In Selfies
“With only 15 seconds and the small field of vision offered on Instagram, capturing an elaborately staged scene from ‘Hamlet’ is a technical challenge.”
Milwaukee Symphony Raises $1 Million In Emergency Funds
“The financially strapped MSO is trying to pay off a $2 million debt and stabilize cash flow as it aims to keep its doors open while planning for a balanced budget for the 2014-’15 season.”
Is Conceptual Art Really Art? (The Guggenheim Asks)
“Some answers the project is now reaching will be surprising: that, for example, the most responsible act of conservation might be the destruction of a piece of art.”
So What If Kids Have A Ton Of Screen Time?
“My belief is that an introduction to other epics—even via pop culture—will lay a sturdy foundation that will make their engagement and enjoyment of the classics that much more likely.”
Still Missing In 2013: Women On The Podium
“Female conductors no longer attract open-mouthed attention among music lovers or the news media, yet they remain far from being fairly represented.”
The Rustle Of Tiny Feet (And Voices, And Candy Bags)
“In 1980, 400,000 children under 18 attended a Broadway show. By last year, that number had nearly tripled, growing to 1.12 million.”
If You’re A Museum, Why Not Launch A TV Show?
“We’re being a little bit provocative, we’re looking at art historical moments through the lens of MOCAtv, where we celebrate people who’ve been associated with comedic values but are still artists.”
Why Are Theatre Accents Often So Terrible?
“On stage there are no nets. There’s nothing you can do for an actor in the theater once that curtain goes up.”
Ancient Illuminated Gospels Probably Came From An Ethiopian Empire
“Illuminations in two Ethiopian gospels dating back 1,500 years were painted in the ancient kingdom of Aksum, and not in the Middle East, as previously believed.”
Today’s Top AJBlog posts 12/20/13
To Be (a charity) or Not To Be, That is the $40 Billion Question
The naked cellist is born again… on Facebook
Collapsing Three to Make a Fourth
Michigan Governor Suggests State Funds Could Go Towards Detroit Institute Rescue
Why Books Will Always Beat Technology
The sky has fallen on literature so many times that we can be forgiven for approaching the latest round of digital doom-saying with some skepticism of our own. For all the protestations that “it’s really different this time,” sometimes it seems like people just get off on prophesying gloom.
After 120 Candidates And Two Years, Here’s The Tacoma Symphony’s New Music Director
“Named in 2009 by The Los Angeles Times as one of six younger female conductors breaking the “glass podium, ” the 41-year-old Sarah Ioannides was born in Australia to a Scottish mother and Cypriot conductor father.”
Questions About Safety In London Theatres
“Authorities sought to reassure theatergoers Friday that London’s elegant but aging venues are safe after chunks of ornamental plaster fell from a ceiling of the Apollo Theatre, showering patrons with dust and debris and injuring 79 people.”
Dancing Through The Pain (What, Pain?)
“Dancers are stoic, and they tend to push through pain. That means not only that diagnosing a chronic illness be difficult, but dancers can block their own recovery.”
Pittsburgh Man Wins Raffle For Million-Dollar Picasso
“The 25-year-old Jeffrey Gonano, who works for his family’s fire sprinkler business, learned Wednesday that his ticket had won the Paris raffle. Organizers say nearly 50,000 tickets were sold worldwide, for €100 apiece, to benefit a Lebanese charity.”
How The Kindle’s Notes Function Is Changing The Way We Read
“The appeal of the shared notes and highlights stems from what’s enjoyable about physical books: picking up a secondhand book or finding a novel in a library, flicking through and finding evidence of who has read it before you.”