“The Elgin marbles will never be returned to Greece, even on loan, the director of the British Museum has told The Telegraph. In a ruling which will infuriate the Greek authorities, Neil MacGregor – who took over as director of the museum last August – said that the marbles could ‘do most good’ in their current home, where they are seen in a broader historical context… Mr MacGregor’s decision ends any hopes that the marbles could be loaned to the Greeks for the Athens Olympics next year and will outrage campaigners who hoped that his appointment marked a change in the museum’s attitude to ownership of the friezes.”
Tag: 02.23.03
Winds Of War Waft Through The Theatre
Remember those days just after 9/11/01, when everything had changed and nothing would ever be the same again? Satire was dead, and Hollywood would surely have to rethink its mission. Well, 18 months later, as we all know, little has really changed, satire is alive and well, and Hollywood is still as it was. In fact, with the world on the brink of an uncertain war, the only artistic discipline which really seems to be meeting current events head-on is the theatre. “As the whiff of war emanates from the White House, for the first time in years the theater feels like a place where world events in the making can be remade for the stage, speedily and purposefully.”
Wright House, Wrong Time
An architecturally significant house in Chicago designed by Frank Lloyd Wright is being threatened. By a baby. The house’s owners are about to see their family expand, and have been looking to sell the four-bedroom home so that they can move to a larger place. But so far, only one bid has come close to the asking price, and that was from a man who wants to tear the home down and erect his own newfangled mansion on the property. The owner rejected the offer, and says he wants to preserve the house, but time is running out, and it appears that unless a more preservation-minded buyer comes forward soon, the house could be demolished by this summer.
The Changing Face Of Music Sales
“Like it or not, the music industry is in a free fall, and things are about to change. The very foundation on which the business is structured – selling music to stores – is eroding at an astonishing pace. Sales of recorded music have fallen about 16 percent over the last two years. By contrast, sales of blank CDs jumped 40 percent in 2002, and users of the biggest online file-trading service, Kazaa, outnumber what Napster ever had.” So what’s next? Well, that depends on how quickly the industry is willing to accept the move to digital music, and embrace new paradigms. So far, though, the big labels seem content to bitch and moan and watch their business go down the drain.
Pirates With Principles
What the anti-piracy forces in the recording industry may be missing in their quest to eradicate free download services is that their own refusal to lower CD prices despite indisuptable evidence that the cost of producing the discs is negligible has fueled such consumer mistrust that many reasonable people simply consider the free downloads to be a victimless crime. And the refusal of the industry to come up with a viable music download service of its own has merely added fuel to the fire. Lower the cost of music, say the pirates, and we’ll happily rejoin the system.
Putting The Corporate Brand On The Arts
The movement towards corporate support of the arts in the face of dwindling public funding is nothing new in the US, but the overt nature of the partnerships has been ratcheting up considerably in recent times. From new concert halls named for corporations like Disney and Verizon, to publicly touted partnerships between theatres and clothiers, the arts seem to be increasingly going the way of the sporting world in terms of corporate culture and product placement. Not everyone likes the idea, but in an era when most cultural organizations are gasping for breath, few have the temerity to argue against any system which will provide them with new revenue streams.
Polanski Sweeps Cesars
“Director Roman Polanski’s The Pianist has won six prizes at the Cesars – France’s version of the Oscars – including best picture.
Polanski also won the award for best director while US actor Adrien Brody won the best actor prize for the English-language film… Last year the film won the prestigious Palme d’Or award at the Cannes Film Festival and has been nominated for six awards at next month’s Oscars ceremony.”