“Literary misery was highest in the 1940s, they found, with the 1980s narrowly in second place, and the 1920s in third. Their research, published yesterday in PLOS ONE, found that an increase in frequency of miserable language in these decades correlated to the economic misery of the respective previous decades.”
Tag: 01.09.13
Artists Speak Out For Better Conditions For Laborers On Abu Dhabi’s Museum Island
“As construction begins on a new $653m branch of the Louvre museum in Abu Dhabi, a group of artists who have spoken out against labour conditions in the Gulf released another letter calling on all the cultural institutions opening museums on Saadiyat Island to ‘seek uniform and enforceable human rights protections for the workers working on their sites’.”
Theatre, Standup Comedy, And The Blurring Line Between Them
Brian Logan: “[I’ve] often found that the best standup is the most theatrical, finding ways to make us laugh beyond the usual motormouth-at-a-microphone formula. And things are moving in the other direction, too. As a theatregoer … I’ve noticed how much of the best theatre is starting to hijack standup techniques, seeking a more direct engagement with audiences.”
Cameron Mackintosh To Revive Two Of His Biggest Flops
“Is Cameron Mackintosh getting nostalgic in his old age? Having hinted that Miss Saigon might follow Les Miserables onto celluloid, the theatre producer has revealed that two of his biggest flops are in line for major revivals” – Moby Dick and Martin Guerre.
The Much-Mourned Matriarch Of Canadian Modern Dance
“Toward Light: A Tribute to Rachel Browne”, playing in Toronto and Vancouver this month, offers eight works that “span 48 years, from her first choreography, the joyous solo Odetta’s Songs and Dances (1964), to the poignant trio Momentum (2012), which premiered a month before her death.”
Why Animals Like To Play
“Recreation may look like it serves no obvious purpose, but when dogs and other animals are having fun they are learning some valuable lessons.”
The Meal As Manifesto
“Eating moss, kelp, weeds, raw shellfish, and dirt at Copenhagen’s Noma, the most provocative (and many say ‘the best’) restaurant in the world.”
Sony Resurrects A Historic Jazz Label
“The major-label landscape hasn’t been hospitable to jazz in recent years, but there’s a bit of good news on the horizon: OKeh Records, the label that released historic early recordings by Louis Armstrong, King Oliver and Duke Ellington, is being revived under the corporate umbrella of Sony Masterworks.”
What Do You Actually Own When You Buy An E-Book?
“There are ways to protect your e-books. Programs available on the Web can strip the code from your purchased items. But is that legal? No one is quite sure.”
Survey: Canadians Engage With The Arts
“About 71 per cent of those polled said they use the internet to engage in arts and culture. About 54 per cent said they used the web to find out more about an artist or event, 44 per cent either bought tickets or watched or listened to an art exhibition or performance online, and 38 per cent discussed arts and culture on the Internet.”