“India’s Jaipur Literature Festival can claim to be one of the biggest in the world – and certainly the most fun. Vijai Maheshwari reports on the big speakers, controversies, and hits from this year.”
Has The MFA Been Killing Art?
“The fact that artists are now minted by universities (and degree-granting art schools modeled on the university) may have done wonders for their social standing, but it’s also been a source of worry to many critics and artists, who think something of great value might be lost by the professionalization of the artist.”
The World’s First Robot Theme Park
South Korea’s Masan Robot Land in Incheon – “whose English motto is ‘Fun & Fantasy with Robot! – will celebrate science fiction cyborgs and androids while also promoting popular interest in the robotics industry and robot culture.”
Legendary Clipper Ship Becomes Cabaret Theatre
The Cutty Sark, in drydock on the Thames in Greenwich, will continue being a historical exhibit by day, “but by night it will become an 85-seat theatre intended to showcase cabaret, music, lectures, small-scale drama and local performers.”
The Six Things That Make Stories Go Viral Will Amaze, and Maybe Infuriate, You
Or, alternatively, Aristotle Recommended These Three Elements for a Great Story, And Here’s How to Balance Them to Get a Hit.
Honoring Baghdad’s Devastated Bookselling District
Not so long ago it was said that Arabic books were written in Cairo, published in Beirut and read in Baghdad. Now hundreds of writers and artists are preparing tributes to the Iraqi capital’s traditional bookselling hub, Al-Mutanabbi Street, which was destroyed in 2007 by a car bomb.
Beckett’s ‘Happy Days’: What’s Underneath Winnie and All That Dirt?
How did the playwright come up with such an odd and memorable stage image? To fins out, Beckett biographer James Knowlson looks into the work’s background – and tracks down some of the first actresses to play Winnie.
Iran Shows Musical Instruments on TV for First Time in 30 Years
And nobody’s sure whether this marks the lifting of a longtime ban or was simply a mistake.
Italy Threatens Legal Action Over Stolen Artifacts In High-Profile London Gallery Case
The 700 disputed objects were excavated illegally and then sold “illicitly”, the lawyer claimed. The objects, including sculptures, jewellery and vases, were largely ancient Etruscan treasures from the Lazio and Tuscany regions.
Shakespeare, Shakespeare Everywhere (Is It Too Much?)
While the productions say this confluence offers a chance to build on one another’s success, they also acknowledge, in much more than a stage whisper, that they need to stand out from the pack.
This Broadway Show Bought And Paid For By The Travel Industry
Conceived of and paid for by travel industry players, the show is produced and performed Off-Broadway. It’s open to the public but a number of performances have been bought out by travel-related businesses.
Yo Yo Ma: Why The Arts Are Essential
“For me the most proficient way to teach the values of collaboration, flexibility, imagination and innovation — all skill sets needed in today’s world — is through the performing arts. If you have these tools, you can do well in any field from software engineering to the biosciences.”
Classical Music in America Is Dead, Says Concern Troll
Mark Vanhoenacker: “When it comes to classical music and American culture, the fat lady hasn’t just sung. Brünnhilde has packed her bags and moved to Boca Raton.” (No, actually. She got a makeover and moved to downtown Brooklyn.) Readers are arguing back in the comments, so join the battle, comrades!
Shia LaBoeuf Says His Plagiarism Was Really Performance Art
“In recent weeks, Shia LaBeouf has been accused of plagiarism and then of plagiarizing his apologies for plagiarism. He has been embroiled in Twitter feuds. He written his apologies for his behavior with an airplane. He even said he sent a picture of his genitalia to a director to land a role in Nymphomaniac. This, he says, was all part of the act.” (Sure it was.)
Top Posts From AJBlogs 01.21.14
Pearl Buck’s Final (?) Novel
Source: The Great Flourishing | Published on 2014-01-21
International piano competition launches improvisation prize
Source: Slipped Disc | Published on 2014-01-21
Such a disappointment
Source: Sandow | Published on 2014-01-21
Pasta Vazool: The Conclusion
Source: Out There | Published on 2014-01-21
The Folk Art Museum Mess And Modern Architecture
Source: Real Clear Arts | Published on 2014-01-21
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Why Sales Of Vinyl Records Are Thriving
“For the sixth straight year, more analog was sold than the year before. In 2013 in particular, the jump was Van Halen-sized: In the United States, 6.1 million vinyl LPs were bought – up 33 per cent from 2012. It’s not just the fogies who grew up on vinyl who are buying the old-fashioned product. Younger listeners are also in on the RPM revolution.”
Thousands Of Latvians Form Human Daisy Chain To Move Library Books
“Around 15,000 people braved freezing temperatures – as low as -14C – to form a chain stretching more than a mile across the capital, deliberately echoing 1989’s Baltic Way when some two million protesters formed a human chain across Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to fight for independence from the Soviet Union.”
Italians To Vote On Which Artworks To Save
“The idea is to raise awareness — and money — for those artistic treasures that need restoration, something the culture ministry says has become a Sisyphean task amid the euro crisis.”
The Cincinnati Symphony’s Remarkable Turnaround
“During a period of artistic transition – in which music director Paavo Järvi departed, the orchestra underwent a search and Louis Langrée was appointed to the top artistic post – the orchestra launched projects that may be viewed as visionary in an industry that is struggling in many cities across the country.”
How Does The Brain Respond To Art? (The Neurological Answer)
“Certain artworks, albeit unfamiliar, may be so well-matched to an individual’s unique makeup that they obtain access to the neural substrates concerned with the self—access which other external stimuli do not get,” writes a research team.
A Biological Explanation For Art? Careful!
“Research findings could well suggest that there is something biological in our need for art – an art instinct. After all, all societies seem to have produced art across human history. We have to account for that, why it is so. But caution is required when interpreting these results and applying them.”