We were lucky to have access to livestreams from across the world in 2020. But: "Although the streamed productions I later saw live had flashes of revelation, those moments were few and far between in what was, on balance, limited by the medium: the subjective and inevitably narrow perspective of the camera, the engineered flattening of sound." - The...
"I't’s been a real grassroots, community-led effort,' Abdul Aziz, a photojournalist, told Hyperallergic. 'It’s overwhelming and beautiful, and I don’t want to say shocking, but it is incredible that we’ve been able to create this sort of de facto emergency response government.'" - Hyperallergic
In Spain, an archaeology team looking at ancient Roman cities "routinely uses technologies such as ground-penetrating radar, drones and magnetometers – devices that measure magnetic fields – and over the years it has become a leader in this non-destructive way to interpret a country’s archeological heritage." - El Pais (Spain)
In Arles, with thousands of pieces taken from the so-called House of the Harpist, "the fragments, some barely bigger than a fingernail, have been washed, labelled and placed into the cases to be examined one by one to see where they might fit into a bigger picture." - The Guardian (UK)
A new peer-reviewed study shows that "from August 2020 to January 2021, news publishers known for putting out misinformation got six times the amount of likes, shares, and interactions on the platform as did trustworthy news sources." But what's the solution? - Washington Post
The British Mawa Theatre Company's "goal is to change the industry from within, creating more space for marginalized voices in a field that is all too often dominated by privileged white men." - Vogue
Custer, a food stylist for companies like Kraft, General Mills, and Bacardi, was "able to shape the unwieldy, the drab and the formless into a crisp and dazzling best seller." She even wrote the book on food styling - and her tool kit was famed, and feared, far and wide. - The New York Times
Then the actor - a mega-star in the world market - decided to take up martial arts. "I just needed to learn to transfer the energy, because a lot of times in dance it’s very inward and contained. Action is more about how you deliver that energy, pushing it forward."- The Guardian (UK)
Board members including Shonda Rhimes, Eva Longoria, and Jurnee Smollett have resigned, making way for an entirely new board as "the group continues to grapple with allegations that it has failed women who asked for its support." - Los Angeles Times
But JoAnn Hunter persisted. Hunter is a "longtime Broadway performer and choreographer who has quietly become an important figure in a field that boasts very few women, and even fewer women of color." - The New York Times
The first Asian-led Marvel film "has been transformed into an unwilling test case for the future of box office blockbusters, fans' commitment to the increasingly bloated Marvel universe, and superhero movies in general." - CBC
What's up with U.S. arts audiences? "We have been at war with and occupied Afghanistan for two decades, yet culturally it has been a blip." - Los Angeles Times
Climate science shows we desperately need insects to keep the planet in any kind of balance. Horror films have disagreed - but it might be time for a change. - The Guardian (UK)
