Information Ought To Be Free (It's In Our Best Interests) "The high subscription cost of prestigious peer-reviewed journals has been a running sore point with scholars, whose tenure and prominence depend on publishing in them. But since the Public Library of Science, which was started by a group of prominent scientists, began publishing last year, this new model has been gaining attention and currency within academia. More than money and success is at stake. Free and widespread distribution of new research has the potential to redefine the way scientific and intellectual developments are recorded, circulated and preserved for years to come." The New York Times 06/26/04
Posted: 06/27/2004 10:43 am
Musical Notes Match Arrangement Of Words In Language An Argentinian physicist has analysed the patterns of music and of written words and concluded that musical notes are strung together in the same patterns as words in a piece of literature. "His analysis also reveals a key difference between tonal compositions, which are written in a particular key, and atonal ones, which are not. This sheds light on why many people find it so hard to make sense of atonal works." Nature 06/14/04
Posted: 06/27/2004 9:38 am
15th Century Fresco Discovered Behind Pigeon Hole A 15th Century fresco has been discovered on the ceiling of the Valencia Cathedral in Spain after art restorers became intrigued with pigeons flying through a hole in what turned out to be a false ceiling. "The fresco, which depicts four angels against a starry blue background, was painted by two Italians, Francesco Pagano and Paolo de San Leocadio, in the late 1400s." BBC 06/25/04
Posted: 06/27/2004 10:17 am
Schools Assess Artwork They Own Across America, schools are making inventories of the artworks in their possession. "The steps come with a growing recognition that schools for decades have received valuable artwork that has not always been preserved or used well." Philadelphia Inquirer 06/26/04
Posted: 06/27/2004 10:14 am
Art Of Harassment "Israeli military police have interrogated five reserve soldiers who put on an art exhibition detailing their gratuitous harassment and abuse of Palestinians in the city of Hebron." The Age (Melbourne) 06/27/04
Posted: 06/27/2004 10:12 am
Versailles Restoration Slowed By Feud Restorations of the gardens around Versailles have been completed. But a feud between restoration firms competing for restoration work inside the palace has delayed work on the Hall of Mirrors. "The job, which includes repairs to the paintings, 450 windows, and gold-leaf and stucco work, is scheduled to begin next month and to finish in 2007." The Art Newspaper 06/25/04
Posted: 06/27/2004 10:02 am
Winners And Losers At Art Basel As always there was a vast array of vastly different stock, such a plethora of objects one eventually begins to doubt the supposed ‘rarity’ of any art. The most expensive work on offer at the fair was a De Kooning at Richard Gray for $12.5 million, followed by a Bacon triptych at Marlborough ($10 million) and a Munch at Mitchell Innes & Nash for $7 million, none of these had sold by the weekend. The cheapest was a Richard Serra “Stop Bush” poster on show at Galerie m Bochum which can be downloaded for free The Art Newspaper 06/25/04
Posted: 06/27/2004 9:59 am
Why Orchestras Are Stuck In The Past "A little more than a decade ago, recording, radio and television contracts were bringing in about $700,000 annually in revenues. Today that figure hovers below $150,000. And if the orchestra wants to record an important new work that it has commissioned from a famous contemporary composer, it must pass the hat." The New York Times 06/27/04
Posted: 06/27/2004 10:50 am
Indies Vs. Big Music - Guess Who's Winning? Small independent recording operations are thriving as the costs of recording and producing music drops. Indie music is "as healthy, one may even observe, as the mainstream is sick. Worldwide, hit records have become the privilege of a select few as embattled major labels take refuge in safe, carbon-copy acts." Meanwhile, maverick artists are "increasingly taking music into their own hands, although no one is under no illusions about toppling Global Pop Inc any time soon." The Age (Melbourne) 06/27/04
Posted: 06/27/2004 10:07 am
Music File-Sharing Rebounds Despite Lawsuits Last fall, after the recording industry began suing music downloaders, file-trading on free networks fell in Canada. But after an initial drop, new research indicates that "free download activity has bounced back significantly. Free downloads are too hard to resist, despite greater awareness of intellectual property issues surrounding music." CBC 06/25/04
Posted: 06/27/2004 9:53 am
Mixed-Up Artists In Toronto, like in many cities, artists communicate with other artists in their own fields, but seldom interact with artists in other artforms. A couple of Toronto art entrepreneurs have begun a program to mix things up. "But it's almost anti-art world, anti-industry. I don't like to use the term, because it sounds negative, but we look outside of what's already established and allow other people access that they would otherwise not have, due to a lack of connections. A lot of these artists would have no idea where to start, getting themselves out there, promoting themselves. And that's where we come in." Toronto Star 06/27/04
Posted: 06/27/2004 11:44 am
Melamid At The Temple Of Art Alex Melamid is at it again. In his latest project designed to make his audience question artworld assumptions, he propses that art is the new religion. "In his current Art Ministry project, Mr. Melamid uses religion as a lens through which to examine the ingrained pieties and genius worship of museum culture. 'The whole idea of art is based on belief. You cannot explain it, you cannot understand it. Just try reading art criticism — all you can do is have faith'." The New York Times 06/27/04
Posted: 06/27/2004 10:38 am
Musical Theatre Works Folds "Musical Theatre Works, the not-for-profit company devoted to creating and developing new musicals, is out of money and will shutter immediately, the Manhattan company announced June 25." Playbill 06/26/04
Posted: 06/27/2004 10:58 am
Theatre's Facts-On-File, 2003 Edition The American theatre community's annual report on its health makes interesting reading. "In an economy that is seemingly in recovery -- yet one in which the threat of uncertainty seems constant -- the report is a curious mix of good news, not-so-good news, and plenty of well-considered spin. The announcement that the nonprofit theatre industry contributed a total of $1.4 billion to the U.S. economy, in the form of salaries, benefits, and payments for goods and services, is certainly a positive, yet this was also the figure cited in Theatre Facts 2002. Still, that figure is considerably more impressive than the $923 million figure cited in Theatre Facts 2001." Backstage 06/26/04
Posted: 06/27/2004 10:20 am
Complex Ideas Made Child-like "It is invigorating to see adults make complex ideas available to children. But there is a less welcome, regressive trend in evidence, too - authors who hijack children's literature to make their work more cosy." The Observer (UK) 06/27/04
Posted: 06/27/2004 10:27 am
English Writers' Group Caught Up In Free Expression Dispute "English PEN, the writers' organisation dedicated to freedom of expression and the support of persecuted writers, is caught up in an in-house row over freedom of expression." The Guardian (UK) 06/26/04
Posted: 06/27/2004 10:24 am
Movie Tapers Could Face Jail Time The US Senate passed a bill this week that would deal harshly with anyone using camcorders to videotape movies in theatres. "The U.S. Customs Department has estimated that such "warez" distribution groups are responsible for 95 percent of all pirated material available online. Those found guilty would face up to three years in prison for a first offense, or five years if it was done for profit. Repeat offenders could spend 10 years behind bars." Wired 06/25/04
Posted: 06/27/2004 9:46 am
US Senate Escalates Coyright Fight The US Senate moved aggressively this week to toughen copyright enforcement. "The Senate introduced the Induce Act, which critics say would ban file-sharing networks and stymie the introduction of any technology that could be used to copy and distribute copyright work. In addition, the Senate passed the Pirate Act, which would make it easier for the feds to go after file swappers. And on Friday, it passed a bill that would throw anyone caught videotaping a movie in theater into prison for up to three to 10 years." Wired 06/25/04
Posted: 06/27/2004 9:42 am
NYCB - Eifman's Apalling Homage "For reasons too discouraging to explore, the New York City Ballet commissioned a work from Boris Eifman for its year-long Balanchine centennial celebration, now winding down. And Eifman came up with Musagète (Leader of the Muses), a 50-minute extravaganza that—despite its appalling notions of choreography, biography, and their possible relationship—claims to be a homage to the master. This is an event that could only have occurred over Balanchine’s dead body." Seeing Things (AJBlogs) 06/27/04
Posted: 06/27/2004 11:38 am
Supernumerary Stamina "Supers, as they are commonly known, stand on their feet for hours on end but only rarely get to take a bow. They nod and smile imperceptibly after a ballerina like Michele Wiles whips off rounds of triple fouette turns in "Swan Lake" but are forbidden to applaud. Being a courtier in "Raymonda" or a gritty butcher in "Romeo and Juliet," is a thankless job. But in a full-length story ballet, someone has to blend into the crowd. Apart from having a love of dance and strong legs, supers, who generally are decades older than the dancers with whom they share the stage, must also be reliable." The New York Times 06/27/04
Posted: 06/27/2004 10:33 am
