“It’s clear that something odd is about to happen, but everyone is peculiarly frozen to the spot. Only when the first protester throws the contents of his bucket forward down the steps of the entrance do the assembled crowd realise that what is happening is molasses. About five gallons of it.”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
Artists’ Letter To The Editor: BP Stains Tate’s Reputation
“Little more than a decade ago, tobacco companies were seen as respectable partners for public institutions to gain support from – that is no longer the case. It is our hope that oil and gas will soon be seen in the same light.” The letter is signed by Caryl Churchill, John Keane, Gordon Roddick, Rebecca Solnit and scores of others.
The Upside Of A Wandering Mind
“A wandering mind can protect you from immediate perils and keep you on course toward long-term goals. Sometimes daydreaming is counterproductive, but sometimes it fosters creativity and helps you solve problems.”
One-On-One Theatre: Drama’s Wild West
“In one-on-one, anything goes. You might find yourself in a coffin, a bath, or dangling from a window, four storeys up. This is front-line theatre with no rules.” Whether despite that or because of it, most one-on-ones “sit on the knife edge of your comfort zone.”
Arts Institutions And BP: More Complicated Than It Seems
“BP is known to be one of the least demanding sponsors and one with expectations which tend to be more realistic than most. But for many, the company is now damaged goods, its reputation as spoiled as the Gulf of Mexico. What should the arts institutions do?”
How The Public Came To Believe In The Mozart Effect
“It’s a story about careful science, less careful journalism, and of course, death threats.”
Group Of Libraries Unveils Digital-Borrowing Program
They “are joining forces to create a one-stop website for checking out e-books, including access to more than a million scanned public domain books and a catalog of thousands of contemporary e-book titles available at many public libraries.” Also on tap: “scans of a few hundred older books that are still in copyright, but no longer sold commercially.”
Australian Pension Reform May Ban Investment In Art
“A pension shakeup aims to stop [people] who manage their own retirement savings from investing in art and order them to sell their collections within a decade. Artists, exhibitors and buyers in Australia predict the change will cause job losses, gallery closures and a slump in prices.”
Firm OK’d For Movie Futures, Promptly Throws In Towel
“With financial reform legislation that would outlaw trading in box-office futures headed toward final passage, the company is giving up on its plans, said Richard Jaycobs, the executive heading the effort for Cantor Fitzgerald. … ‘The bill is quite clear,'” he said.
Nora Ephron Channels Stieg Larsson
“Salander opened the door a crack and spent several paragraphs trying to decide whether to let Blomkvist in. Many italic thoughts flew through her mind. Go away. Perhaps. So what. Etc. ‘Please,’ he said. ‘I must see you. The umlaut on my computer isn’t working.’ He was cradling an iBook in his arms.”