Bookshop opened in the U.S. in January, hoping to build its site slowly while helping independent bookstores in the States. Five weeks later, cue COVID-19 shutdowns. “By June, Bookshop sold $1m worth of books in a day. The platform has now raised more than $7.5m (£5.7m) for independent bookshops across the US.” Now it’s starting to partner with independent bookstores in the UK as well. Why not? Amazon certainly threatens their existence as well. – The Guardian (UK)
Author: ArtsJournal2
Taking Choreography Offline
Or at least part of it. In a new work, Zoom participants bang pots and pans in their kitchens, and then received the “score” as a PDF to complete on their own. For choreographer Yanira Castro, “It’s hopefully a gift that’s like, you can do this if you want. But “being present with the page” is also a form of performance. – The New York Times
The Graphic Design Of Instagram Activism
Not unlike the activist graphic design of the past, woke Instagram design is easy to comprehend, is clever, and often contains familiar themes so that meaning doesn’t have to be spelled out. Companies are happy to seize on that visual language for their own vaguely worded “Go People” posts. But those can easily fall flat – audiences see through the language to the emptiness that lies below. – Hyperallergic
What Classical Music Loses In Screen Translation
The novelty of watching concerts over Zoom has worn off, and though audiences are still pleased to have anything, anything at all, to watch, the loss of physical space is real, and musicians and conductors feel it. “The absence of an audience subtracts something essential from the music as well; it becomes an unbalanced equation, an unanswered question.” – Washington Post
The House Where Jane Austen Wrote All Of Her Novels Is In Some Structural Trouble
The building’s roof issues threaten the collection of the Jane Austen Museum, the museum says. – BBC
A Nazi-Looted Painting Is Back In Court
A Parisian woman struck a complicated co-ownership deal with an Oklahoma museum where she found a painting the Nazis stole from her father. Now she wants to revisit the deal for Camille Pissarro’s La Bergère Rentrant des Moutons (Shepherdess Bringing in Sheep). – The New York Times
How Professional Ballet Dancers Plan For Retirement
It involves a lot of money saving, a lot of private lessons, and now a lot of Zooming. – CNBC
Can’t Make It To The Gallery Because Of COVID Concerns?
That’s OK; your mobile robot can do it for you. (The show at the Saatchi in London also has some tightly restricted in-person options as well.) – BBC
Under A Cloud Of Accusations, Artist Aydin Aghdashloo Faces Repercussions
At least 13 women have accused the artist of sexual misconduct, and an exhibit of the artist’s work was canceled in Iran, where the Tehran auction is also considering not including his work this year. But in Canada, where the artist has dual citizenship, a cultural festival that often invites him decided to remain “noncommittal about the accusations.” – The New York Times
Here Are Some Soothing Movies You Could Watch Multiple Times
If you needed to this week. No reason. Just in case. For instance, Moonstruck. “The deepest, richest, most romantic kind of a movie, a full-bodied glass of red wine to be enjoyed anytime one’s faith in humanity is fraying, Moonstruck might be the most comforting film ever made.” – The Atlantic