What would the architects of Central Park have thought of the Christo and Jeanne Claude Gates? Probably not much. “From the beginning, Olmsted and Vaux strenuously opposed all attempts to introduce art into the park. In their Greensward Plan of 1858—the competition entry that won them the commission—they wrote that while it would be possible to build elegant buildings in the park, “we conceive that all such architectural structures should be confessedly subservient to the main idea, and that nothing artificial should be obtruded on the view.” They considered art a similar distraction from the restorative purpose of the landscape and kept statues out of the park.”
Tag: 02.14.05
Top Ten Anything (Why Do We Care?)
Andrew O’Hagan wonders if competition is good for the arts. “We are addicted to the concept of winners and losers. Last week alone, I was asked to nominate the Best Top 10 British Bands, write something about the Top 100 Scottish Novels of All Time, and I attended a lavish awards ceremony, sponsored by The Daily Telegraph, to name several Great Britons. The assumption, not a bad one in itself, seems to be that life is more exciting the more rivalry it involves, as if competition was the food of endeavour. I’m not entirely sure that competition is good for art. There is the danger that it can create a uniformity of thought and aim.”
Will Musical Phones Knock Off The iPod?
Cell phone makers are incorporating music players into their new generations of phones. “Music is the next big thing in mobile multimedia. Mobile phone makers and networks are looking for ways to boost their revenue given difficulties finding new customers in saturated industrialized markets and even in some developing countries. Free voice calls over the Internet pose a further threat to revenues, forcing mobile operators to look to entertainment and data services for their future profitability.”
Are Canadian Content Laws “Orwellian”
In Canada TV programs getting funding and air time must pass Canadian content rules that promote homegrown talent. But critics charge that the “process for determining whether projects are distinctively Canadian is “Orwellian,” and are incensed by what they call the subjective assessment of what Canadian audiences will watch. For example, a proposed film on Modigliani by acclaimed filmmaker Harry Rasky was rejected by the CTF on the grounds that it was insufficiently contextualized for Canadians.”
Calatrava Wins AIA Gold Medal
Architect Santiago Calatrava, 53, wins the American Institute of Architects’ highest honor, the Gold Medal. “Even at his age, Calatrava still deserves to be called a phenom. After all, at 53 most architects with strong personal visions are just beginning to make their presence felt. But Calatrava has accomplished so much in so short a period of time it is hard to comprehend. He has designed opera houses, museums, stadiums, civic centers, train stations, airports and other types of buildings throughout Europe and in the United States. And bridges. With Calatrava, you cannot forget bridges.”
Classical Music As Bug Spray?
Why are some cities using classical music to ward off hoodlums? “There’s something very poignant about the idea of classical music as bug spray, as pest control. This is one of those many stories about what happens to classical music after it’s ‘classical.’ Even as public understanding of the style has hit an all-time low, the music retains some residual prestige, whether it’s played to children in the womb or hoodlums in the park. They’re choosing it because the music is still in some ways exalted. It’s now ‘magical’: We’ll spray it around like some kind of incense.”
Is PBS In Decline?
Critics are accusing PBS of becoming more politically driven and timid about what it programs. “We’re standing on the edge of a chasm. We are leaving what we have been and staring at a very different digital future. No one knows what that future is. We are trying to put the pieces of a strategy together that we believe will lead to the rebirth of public television in the U.S.”
Iran Guard Reaffirms Rushdie Death Threat
Sixteen years after Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini called on Muslims to kill writer Salman Rushdie, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard reaffirmed the death call. “The day will come when they will punish the apostate Rushdie for his scandalous acts and insults against the Koran and the Prophet. The imam’s historic fatwa, issued in the days when the infidel leaders who champion liberal democracy and Zionism devoted all their energies to fighting Islam, is testament to Muslim greatness and the revolutionary dynamism of Koranic and Islamic thought.”
Where Is The Canadian Literary Sex?
Where is the sex in Canadian literature? Even when there is sex, it “is rarely a pleasurable event. Instead, it is often used as a metaphor for politics, identity, globalization, consumerism – almost everything but sex itself.”
Is Tampa Museum Up To A New Building?
The Tampa Museum wants to build a signature $54 million building downtown to house its collections. But is the museum director described as “nice” up to the job of getting it done?