Is Using Classical Music To Fall Asleep Disrespectful To The Art Form?

J. Bryan Lowder: “The same music that you’d be chastised for dozing off to during a concert is available for precisely that purpose when you get home. Why does the taboo apply in one place and not the other? … I’m happily using a Cy Twombly piece as my iPhone background right now; should using a Beethoven sonata as nightcap really feel any different?”

Marina Abramović Turns Sitting Still And Listening To A Classical Concert Into An Art Installation

“Upon entering the Armory, ticket-holders will be presented with numbered keys, which will lead to individual lockers [for cell phones, watches, etc.] … And for 30 minutes, listeners will be required to wait, in silence and near-darkness. … When the centimeter-by-centimeter approach of the musician and his instrument is complete, listeners will remove their headphones” and listen to the Goldberg Variations.”

Paris Theatre To Offer English Translations Via Google Glass-Type Device

“The team at Theatre in Paris has announced that it is rolling out special glasses for non-French speakers that send perfectly synchronized translations into the air by the stage.” Says company co-founder Carl de Poncins, “It’s very similar to Google glasses, except the screen is larger and the words are positioned closer to where you’re looking.”

Movie Theaters Are Messing With Your Mind, But In The Service Of Better Movies

“Laser-powered projectors. Sound that bounces around the theater. Seats that vibrate and even project mist. The century-old motion picture exhibition industry is in the midst of a technological revolution, deploying the latest in audio and visual research in a bid to attract younger audiences and stay relevant in the digital age.”