Vancouver - Art Of The Sewer Vancouver is sewer shopping. The city put our a call to artists to design manhole covers and got 643 proposals. "We thought we'd receive maybe 300 submissions. We didn't know what to expect. At first you might think 'Who wants art on sewer covers? How mundane.' But man, it's going to be great,"
The Globe & Mail (Canada) 07/21/04
Posted: 07/21/2004 6:28 am
V&A Fails To Get Lottery Money For Spiral London's Victoria & Albert Museum has failed to win Lottery funding for its proposed Daniel Libeskind-designed addition, dubbed the Spiral extension. "Plans to build the "crumpled" construction in the museum's outside courtyard had faced strong criticism," and museum officials say the Lottery failure puts the project in jeopardy. BBC 07/21/04
Posted: 07/21/2004 6:02 am
Chicago's Giant Bean "Chicago has something new and unexpected in the heart of downtown: the Bean. Only a few days into the opening of Millennium Park, a mere four and a half years late, locals have taken their newest piece of public sculpture into their affections. The legume-shaped sculpture, a 110-ton hunk of highly polished steel, has been designed by Anish Kapoor, the Anglo-Indian sculptor. It is his first piece of public art in America, but remains unfinished." Financial Times 07/21/04
Posted: 07/20/2004 6:46 pm
The Meaning Of (Bad) Art What is bad art? A Melbourne collector thinks she knows. "After a decade of ferreting in dusty op shops, she has nailed the criteria: a complete lack of technical skill; unusual, poor or tasteless subject matter; and an asking price of $2 or less. Round's collection of 200 original canvases, dubbed The Museum of Particularly Bad Art, is being unleashed on the public. Like a B-grade movie or a lovers' public spat, you can't look away. This is art so bad it's downright good." The Age (Melbourne) 07/17/04
Posted: 07/20/2004 5:49 pm
Who's In Line To Take Over Proms? At the end of this summer's Proms, Leonard Slatkin steps down as chief conductor. "It has been known for almost two years that Slatkin was going to leave, but no announcement has been made about his successor. The BBC is being cautious, aware of the fact that, with the appointment of Slatkin in 2000, it has been a case of married in haste, repent at leisure." The Telegraph (UK) 07/21/04
Posted: 07/20/2004 8:54 pm
Operatic Sex And Violence? Just A Passing Fad Two opera productions in Berlin trade heavily in gratuitous sex and violence. Okay, so the theatres were full, even if the critical reception was outrage. But this is a fad that will pass. "Indeed, the quest for this kind of spectacle cannot last, if only because scandal is not a renewable resource. Whatever remaining taboos exist in the opera house can be broken only so many times before this approach becomes a parody of itself. That process may already have begun." The New York Times 07/21/04
Posted: 07/20/2004 8:31 pm
Philly Orchestra Musicians' Contract: Management "At stake is the very future of the orchestra. Negotiation rhetoric? No. The fact is, we have until Sept. 19, when our current five-year contract expires, to determine whether our path continues the preeminence of the orchestra or leads to extinction." Philadelphia Inquirer 07/20/04
Posted: 07/20/2004 7:15 pm
- Philly Orchestra Musicians' Contract: The Players "In their current proposal, management is demanding a 10 percent reduction in funding for the musicians, even though compensation for the orchestra is already among the lowest of our peers. To achieve this drastic reduction, musicians have been offered a Hobson's choice: reduce salaries by 10 percent, potentially driving away our great younger players, or reduce our ranks, threatening the lushness that is a hallmark of the Philadelphia Sound. They also propose to slash our pensions by as much as 50 percent, and charaterized as a "waste" their legal obligation to provide pensions to working musicians over age 701/2. These proposals are the equivalent of selling Renoirs to fix a hole in the Art Museum's roof." Philadelphia Inquirer 07/20/04
Posted: 07/20/2004 7:12 pm
The Miraculous Cleveland Orchestra Why did such an amazing orchestra emerge in Cleveland? "From this once notoriously no-hope city has emerged one of the wonders of the world: an orchestra that displays none of the overt – or extrovert – characteristics of its US siblings, an orchestra whose sound – under current music director Franz Welser-Most, pictured – is so balanced, so luminous, so brilliantly pure, unanimous and gleaming that, at its best, it's almost miraculous." Glasgow Herald 07/21/04
Posted: 07/20/2004 7:09 pm
Reconciling England's Two Greatest Living Composers "Sir Harrison Birtwistle and Sir Peter Maxwell Davies have known each other for almost half a century since they were friends at the Royal College of Music in Manchester - members of an illustrious group of students that included the composer Alexander Goehr and the pianist John Ogdon." But 35 years ago they had a falling out, and haven't spoken since. Now they meet again. The Guardian (UK) 07/21/04
Posted: 07/20/2004 7:02 pm
Ahhh...A New Canadian Arts Minister Who Likes Arts Canada's arts community is cheering the appointment of Liza Frulla as the country's new Heritage Minister. Sho has - unlike the previous arts minister - a demonstrated interest in the arts. "The professional clout is there; the personal interest is there -- a reference to Frulla's own description of herself as a 'culture vulture' and her eclectic background as, for example, the first female reporter ever to be allowed into the Montreal Canadiens' dressing room, the first woman of Italian heritage to be elected to the Quebec National Assembly, and later, the host of a popular Radio-Canada TV show called Liza." The Globe & Mail (Canada) 07/21/04
Posted: 07/21/2004 6:20 am
Labor Truce For French Festivals Last summer maajor French festivals were disrupted or canceled due to protests by labor unions. After worries about a repeat this summer, the festivals are underway in peace. "With the festival season now well under way, is it safe to assume the issue has gone away? Not entirely. This is a truce, rather than peace." Financial Times 07/21/04
Posted: 07/20/2004 6:38 pm
A Curious Trend - Killing The President Art is always looking for taboos to break. And the curious convergence of this summer is assassination. Presidential assassination. "Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins may be closing, but next month, I’m Gonna Kill the President!, a satirical play by the pseudonymous Hieronymous Bang, reopens at a top-secret downtown location. Jonathan Demme has remade The Manchurian Candidate, and Niels Mueller’s drama The Assassination of Richard Nixon, starring Sean Penn, is based on the true story of a salesman who attempts to murder the president. And although the novel won’t be released until August 24 (the eve of the Republican convention), Nicholson Baker’s Checkpoint has already caused a stir: One character ruminates at great length on his desire to assassinate George W. Bush." New York Magazine 07/19/04
Posted: 07/20/2004 6:16 pm
Panhandler Becomes Gallery Patron A San Francisco man's "long-estranged mother died recently, leaving him $187,000 -- and the first thing Don did when he got the money was cut a $10,000 check to the art gallery he has sat in front of for two years, panhandling and begging for free food. He got drunk to celebrate, then stumbled into the door of the Blue Room Gallery, walked straight up to owner Paul Mahder and handed him the check." San Francisco Chronicle 07/21/04
Posted: 07/21/2004 7:02 am
The Perfection Of Carlos Kleiber "An undoubted perfectionist, Kleiber agreed to appear only when and where he felt like it. He was prone to cancel his appearances in a quite cavalier fashion, and refused to be tied to any one orchestra or opera house. No wonder, when he did appear, the man whom the New York Times once described as "the most venerated conductor since Arturo Toscanini" commanded attention and sold-out houses." The Guardian (UK) 07/21/04
Posted: 07/20/2004 6:58 pm
Sondheim On Track "Those who keep their culture in tidy boxes have a problem with Stephen Sondheim. For 47 years, ever since he jetted to attention at 27 as lyricist of West Side Story, Sondheim has walked both sides of the track and straight down the middle. He plays in commercial theatres and state opera houses, in am-dram and at the Kennedy Center. All his life he has defied categorisation as high art or low, common entertainer or lofty public edifier." La Scena Musicale 07/21/04
Posted: 07/21/2004 7:31 am
Sondheim On Sweeney 25 Years Later When Sweeney Todd first opened in London 25 years ago it was not well-received. Sondheim has always been hurt by this reception. "It was my love letter to London." But now, he thinks he understands. "A friend of mine, the playwright John Guare, said that it was as if the British had come to the States and done a serious musical of I Love Lucy. "And we would think, Don't they know that's a silly comedy? Well, I think maybe, with Sweeney Todd, people thought that the Americans were taking a melodrama just too seriously. How pretentious! " The Telegraph (UK) 07/21/04
Posted: 07/20/2004 9:46 pm
The Oprah Factor, Classics Edition "A recent poll suggested that Americans are reading less. But since Oprah Winfrey picked Anna Karenina as her book club choice on May 31, Tolstoy's Russian novel, rich with characters, relationships and details about blizzards, samovars and mazurkas, is flying off the shelves." Philadelphia Inquirer 07/21/04
Posted: 07/21/2004 6:53 am
Dummies And Idiots And Boneheads, Oh My Who knew you could make millions by insulting your customers? "Today, the "For Dummies" series has 125 million books in print, with an estimated 68 million buyers in the United States proudly proclaiming themselves to be dummies. Now a global phenomenon, the books have been translated into 39 languages and are easily recognized by their black-and-yellow covers and the "dummy" character in geeky oversized glasses guiding readers along." Fort Worth Star-Telegraph 07/21/04
Posted: 07/21/2004 6:15 am
Diving On A French Author/War Hero "Antoine de Saint Exupéry was the author of 'Le Petit Prince' and, in France, a war hero. But 60 years after his mysterious death, the wreckage retrieved from his watery grave is threatening to destroy his reputation." The Telegraph (UK) 07/21/04
Posted: 07/20/2004 8:43 pm
Unmasking Chaucer's Sloppy Scrivener "A scribe - who until the weekend was known to history only as Adam the scrivener - so infuriated Geoffrey Chaucer with his carelessness that the poet threatened to curse him with an outbreak of scabs. Now alert academic detective work has unmasked the sloppy copyist of the words of the father of English literature as Adam Pinkhurst, son of a small Surrey landowner during the 14th century." The Guardian (UK) 07/20/04
Posted: 07/20/2004 7:06 pm
Poll - The Diversity Of "Must-Haves" A poll of 500 readers last month came up with a list of "must have" books. "What has made me so relieved is that these very diverse books are practically all serious, accomplished, ambitious and original works of fiction. It takes a bit of thought to discover them, read them and respond to them. Most are contemporary, but they are not brand-new bestsellers or spin-offs from movies or TV shows. It was word of mouth, not hype, that got them on to this bookshelf." The Age (Melbourne) 07/18/04
Posted: 07/20/2004 5:55 pm
This Summer - Reruns Rule This was supposed to be the summer that year-round TV programming took hold. No repeats, new series... "We've heard all these big grandiose announcements about the year-round programming and what a great strategy it is. We've seen no evidence to back up the rhetoric. In fact, we've seen quite the opposite." CBS, the only network running reruns, is the only network doing well. "Midway through the summer season, CBS is the only major network to increase its number of total viewers, adding 3 percent to an average of 8.5 million." The New York Times 07/21/04
Posted: 07/20/2004 8:37 pm
The Throwaway DVD A new "dispoable" DVD that self-destructs is being touted as an anti-piracy tool as well as a challenge to the traditional movie rental. "The discs are created using an oxygen-activated chemical, and are shipped in vacuum-sealed packages. Once the disc is exposed to air, the chemical starts working; 48 hours later, it turns black, and the DVD player can’t read it anymore." New York Magazine 07/19/04
Posted: 07/20/2004 6:12 pm
Congress "Cleaning Up" Movie Legislation The US Congress is considering two bills this week that will impact the entertainment industry. "The House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote Wednesday on the Family Movie Act, which would exempt from legal liability anyone who uses filtering software to "clean up" purportedly indecent, violent or pornographic movie content. The following day, the Senate Commerce Committee will decide whether to renew the satellite TV industry's right to transmit network programming." Backstage 07/20/04
Posted: 07/20/2004 6:03 pm
Trying Out An Ashton Diet "We in America have been on a thin diet of Ashton for many years (even his own company, the Royal Ballet, has been on strict rations). Granted that dancing Ashton requires a certain specific training, there’s still no good reason why companies around the world, so desperate for distinguished repertory, should shy away from the work of the man who is almost universally regarded as the second (with Balanchine) of the 20th century’s two greatest choreographers." New York Observer 07/21/04
Posted: 07/21/2004 7:19 am
