Susannah Clapp of Britain’s The Observer: “Strangely, given the fawning on female actors and the sneering at ‘luvvies’, the theatre is the most male world in which I have worked. Far less women-driven than publishing or literary journalism or broadcasting. In all areas: writers, directors, designers, heads of theatres. That is changing. It is hard to overemphasise the difference that one thing made to this.”
Does The CBC Define Canadian Culture?
Sitting as it does, awkwardly at the intersection of commerce, culture and mandated nation-building role, it is dangerous for the public broadcaster to think of itself as defining the country and its culture. A good portion of the Canadian population is oblivious to what the CBC does. When CBC executives talk about “inclusiveness,” which they do a lot, they need to remember those who are oblivious.
You Know Blockbusters Are Costly When The Snacks Line Item Is $2 Million
Yeah, that’s for the latest in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series (and it’s more than the entire budget of “Moonlight”). But of course, the cast and crew could fill a small town …
Meeting The Robots Who Make Robots In The Robot Factory
Is there any future for human work? Or will robots take over all of it – or just the repetitive, dangerous, dirty jobs that humans would prefer not to do in the first place?
Colm Tóibín Says Flashbacks Are Rubbish For Fiction, And Authors Should Stop It
“‘We are living in the most terrible age,’ Tóibín told the Hay literary festival in Wales. ‘I know people are worried about Brexit and I know people worry about Donald Trump. But I worry about the flashback.'”
Tracey Emin Says Art Is About Growing And Changing, Not Just Making Money
Her comments were pretty pointedly directed at the men of her generation, most clearly – though she didn’t name names – at Damien Hirst. ““I know artists who make the same fucking work day in, day out. … They make it, they sell it, they make it, they sell it, they make another version, they sell it. They get a bigger house, they sell it.”
The Existential Fight At Cannes Over Theatres, Netflix , And The Meaning Of Movies
Basically: “Cannes may be the pinnacle of cinematic prestige and hold an outsized reverence for the past, but it represents a mind set that, depending on one’s point of view, should either be valiantly upheld in the face of barbarians or eagerly torn down in the name of democracy.”
The Walker Art Center Will Remove A Sculpture That Elicited Protests And Outrage Before Reopening Its Sculpture Garden
The piece, called “Scaffold,” was meant to commemorate the gallows where 38 Dakota people were hanged in 1862 – but Minnesota’s Native American communities said it was insensitive and a trivialization of history and genocide. “Sheldon Wolfchild, a Dakota traditional elder who has strong family connections to the Dakota 38, said the decision to erect such a sculpture was proof that Minnesotans need to be reeducated on history.”
At Cannes, The Swedish Film ‘The Square’ Wins The Palme D’Or, And Sofia Coppla Wins Best Director
Coppola is the second woman to win a solo directing prize in the history of the festival (Jane Campion shared it in the 1990s). But “the awards capped what had been an often disappointing festival characterized by a fairly weak feature-film competition, misfires from venerated auteurs and rumors that some movies had been rushed into the festival before they had been fully edited. (The overlong running times of some titles certainly suggested as much.)”
Top AJBlogs For The Weekend Of 05.28.17
All the Poets: Rhiannon Giddens
The second installment of my Los Angeles Review of Books — All the Poets, in which musicians discuss their literary influences — went up the other day: Rhiannon Giddens, who earned her reputation with … read more
AJBlog: CultureCrashPublished 2017-05-28
How to Talk about Saving the NEA
The President’s 2018 budget includes just enough funding for staff time required to shut down the NEA and NEH. Arts advocates and administrators have responded with pleas that federal arts funding is important and can’t … read more
AJBlog: The Bright RidePublished 2017-05-28
Recent Listening: Charlie Shoemake, Teacher
Charlie Shoemake Trio And Quartet: Central Coasting (CCJAZZI) In addition to being a premier jazz vibraphonist, Charlie Shoemake has long devoted himself to helping young musicians develop their skills. After he and … read more
AJBlog: RiffTidesPublished 2017-05-26
The GIF, Which Transformed The Internet (And Sparked Millions Of Pronunciation Arguments), Turns 30
And, honestly, GIFs are living their best lives right now. “Twitter has a GIF button and even Apple added GIF search to its iOS messaging app. Such mainstream approval would have seemed unthinkable even a decade ago, when GIFs had the cultural cachet of blinking text and embedded MIDI files. But today they’re ubiquitous.”
When A Private Owner Of Looted Art Won’t Return An Artwork, It Goes Up For Auction
One of the heirs of the pre-Nazi-looting owners: “We brokered a compromise, which we signed. It is not really satisfactory, but it is acceptable. It was the best that we could achieve. Ideally, it would have been returned in total to our family. That wasn’t possible, so we settled for what we could get.”