“Think of a bookplate as a wedding ring binding the reader to the book, and vice versa. The symbolism isn’t so far apart: ownership, possession, desire.” Physicality, it turns out, is crucial to that particular expression of bibliophilic intimacy.
Tag: 03.04.10
London’s Actors Union Loses Its Muscle
“Far from being the muscular entity I recall from the 1960s and 70s, one that could set wage structures, negotiate overtime and working conditions, and even insist on the odd backstage visit from pest control, the actors’ trade union now more resembles an elderly grandfather attempting to reason with the yobs as they make off with his roofing slates.”
12 Ideas How To Change The Classical Music Experience
“The current concert format is old-fashioned. It’s based on rules devised by the bourgeoisie at the turn of the 19th century to protect and elevate their culture. They tried to make it this semi-religious experience, sacred and serious. But in Mozart’s time concerts were more informal…”
Participatory Art Yes. But Good Art?
“Some forms of interactivity are obviously good for art, as they are good for society. The more democratically ideas and information are shared, the more accessible art will be. So democracy is great – except when it shapes the actual work of art. I do not believe a great work of art has ever been created by communal consensus, let alone by multiple editors.”
School Uses Classical Music To Punish Students
“News that a school in Derby, Britain, was piping classical music into a special detention area set up to punish troublesome students has ignited a debate about the use of the pieces. The idea of using Mozart and Ravel as deterrent for the badly behaved has roused the ire of both music lovers and critics of the public education systems.”
British Digital Piracy Legislation Defeated
“The government has been defeated in the House of Lords over measures to tackle online piracy after opponents said the plans could hamper digital innovation.”
Barbara Bray, 85, Champion Of Avant-Garde Theatre And Partner To Beckett
As a script editor at the BBC during the 1950s, she acquired, translated and/or commissioned scripts by (among others) Genet, Sartre, Anouilh, Pirandello, Pinter and Samuel Beckett, with whom she had a romantic and creative partnership for 30 years.
Voguing At The Whitney Biennial
“Spinning disco balls, a booming bass beat, outlandish costumes and Madonna are what usually come to mind when you think of voguing. But beneath all the trimmings is a dance form. Something of a cult form, too, but the Whitney Biennial has trained a new spotlight on it this month with Untitled and Untitled (New Way) by the video artist Rashaad Newsome.”
As ‘Retail Therapy,’ Massages Work Better Than Shoes
“Consumers found that satisfaction with ‘experiential purchases’ – from massages to family vacations – starts high and increases over time. In contrast, spending money on material things feels good at first, but actually makes people less happy in the end.”
The Disappearing Bookshelf
“In the future, … all our books will be invisible, like our music … So we lose forever the pleasure known to humanity for 500 years of taking a stroll up and down the aisles of someone else’s brain by perusing their bookshelves.”