What the library tells you is not that there is that much to read, but that there are no limits as to how much there is to know. The essence of the library is its limitlessness. The more time you spend in it, the more you realize that no time could ever be enough; no matter how hard you strive, you will never know it all. The revelation of your finitude comes with embarrassing pain. And when you have realized that you cannot live without that pain, your perverse relationship with the library has reached its climax. – Los Angeles Review of Books
Tag: 03.09.20
Gov’t Of Catalonia Paid For Documentaries Saying That Cervantes, Shakespeare, Columbus, And Leonardo Were Catalan
The government of the independence-minded Spanish region gave €3 million in subsidies to media companies connected to the New History Institute (INH) and paid €184,000 for the rights to six INH documentaries — films arguing that Cervantes and Shakespeare were a single individual who wrote in Catalan (and that the Spanish Inquisition suppressed his true identity), that Leonardo da Vinci was Catalan, and that not only was Christopher Columbus Catalan but Erasmus of Rotterdam was his illegitimate son. – The Guardian
Exhibition Cancelled Because Of … Not Coronavirus, But Slavery
“Four North American museums” — the National Gallery of Canada, Seattle Art Museum, Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, and National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC — “have canceled plans to host a major touring exhibition of masterworks from Liechtenstein’s princely collections out of apparent concern over the royal family’s wartime … use of forced labour.” – The Art Newspaper
The Artistic Loss Of COVID – San Francisco Ballet Closes After A Single Performance
“Alas, few of us were fortunate enough to witness this production. Friday night, the Ballet announced that all further performances of this “Midsummer” run have been canceled because city officials ordered that the Opera House and other venues be closed as a precaution amid the coronavirus crisis. If I do get the virus (not to suggest there were suspicions of contagion at Friday’s engagement), I’d almost say the performance I saw would be worth it.” – San Francisco Chronicle
Nationalist Governments Are Targeting Museums To Change Their Narratives
In Poland and other countries ruled by nationalist governments, far-right political parties are increasingly attempting to twist history to fit into their own narratives. And they’re going after cultural and educational institutions to do it. When the past doesn’t fit these governments’ political purposes, it has no place being remembered. – HuffPost
Our Devices Are Getting Smarter – But That Also Makes Them Obsolete Sooner
In the span of a single decade, we basically let a computer-centric mindset around planned obsolescence threaten to ruin the long-term usability of entire categories of products unnecessarily. – Vice
Conductor And Composer Anton Coppola, 102
“[He] appeared in the children’s chorus for the 1926 American premiere of Puccini’s uncompleted Turandot, conducted his own ending to the work some nine decades later, and in between had one of the longest careers as a maestro in modern times” — including founding a company (Opera Tampa) and conducting the premieres of several noted American operas, among them his own Sacco and Vanzetti. (And yes, he is part of the moviemaking family.) – The New York Times
American Arts Organizations Take Ad Hoc Approach To Coronavirus Response
In a vivid example of the ad hoc and highly inconsistent way arts organizations are dealing with the spread of the potentially deadly coronavirus, the Seattle Symphony is operating as usual and played to large audiences over the weekend. Meanwhile, the San Francisco Symphony canceled all performances this week and next. – Los Angeles Times
New World Symphony Subbed Out Last Weekend’s Conductor Because He Went To Japan Last Month
“‘Out of an abundance of caution, the New World Symphony felt it was prudent for Cristian Măcelaru not to conduct the concert [Saturday] night after learning of his recent travels to Japan which is designated at level two re the coronavirus by the CDC,’ the orchestra, said in a statement released by a spokeswoman.” This despite the fact that Măcelaru is not ill and has tested negative for the virus. – South Florida Classical Review
Mart Crowley, Who Wrote ‘The Boys In The Band’, Dead At 84
“For much of his career, Mr. Crowley was overshadowed by gay playwrights such as Larry Kramer … and Tony Kushner. … But his 1968 examination of gay identity, repression and self-loathing was a milestone for artists and other theatergoers who recognized themselves as one of The Boys in the Band, even if some of the play’s acid-tongued dialogue would come to seem dated.” – The Washington Post