“An embarassed Christie’s has been forced to withdraw a glazed ceramic sculpture of a boar from auction tomorrow after Grayson Perry, the cross-dressing Turner Prize-winning potter, told them that he had not made it. He said that it had to be a fake because it was too well made to be one of his early works.”
Tag: 04.05.07
What Theatre Means In LA
“Local theater has offered a kind of life raft from the desolation of waiting for agents to call as days turn into decades. (Somebody once noted that Los Angeles is the only city where one can die of encouragement.) For artists in or out of the Industry, theater provides at least some community, and places to perform or be performed.”
Next: Machines That “Print” 3D Objects
“Laser scanners with arrays of cameras can create digital models of objects that encode all the significant bumps, cracks, corners and facets of real things. Computers can enhance, morph or tweak the models before shipping them to 3-D “printers” that may be halfway around the world. The result is a new version of the thing itself, but built from some resin or starch.”
Dance Festival Survives In Akron
Ohio Ballet may be dead, but “Continuing an annual tradition that began in 1975, Akron will present free dance performances in its parks this summer in tribute to Heinz Poll, the late founding artistic director of Ohio Ballet.”
Is It True Brains Can Only Decline With Age? No!
“Until quite recently orthodox neuroscience held that only the brains of young children are resilient, malleable, and morphable–in a word, plastic. This neuroplasticity, as it is called, seems to fade steadily as the brain congeals into its fixed adult configuration. The mature brain, scientists concluded, can only decline. It turns out this theory is not just wrong, it is spectacularly wrong.”
Concern About Elton John Venice Concerts
Conservaionists are worried that birthday concerts by Elton John in Venice’s St. Mark’s Square could damage the square. “The concerts are part of Sir Elton¹s Red Piano tour and will coincide with the opening of the Venice Biennale. Although the City of Venice has not yet granted official permission for the concerts to take place, tickets for the events are already for sale online. Prices start at 200 euros with the top advertised price set at 1,000 euros. Around 5,000 tickets are available for each event.”
The New (Anonymous) Subversive Public Art
“Slink is part of a growing trend of anonymous street art projects. Last year, New Yorkers were puzzled to wake up to a number of artistic additions to their road crossings. Instead of the minimalist red and green men, the lit figures at pedestrian crossings were adorned with handbags, shoes, hats and complicated items of clothing. The endeavours clearly amuse, but their definition as art is hotly debated. What is the aim behind such works?”
The First English Dictionary
The very first dictionary of the English language, written in 1604 was known as A Table Alphabeticall. It was compiled in the late 16th century by one Robert Cawdrey, evidently to grapple with the changing language brought about by printing presss. “It has been out of print for almost 400 years, and the Bodleian is now home to the one known copy of it to have survived.”
Will Help Be Too Late For NJ Theatre?
New Jersey state legislators are rallying to save the state’s Papermill Theatre, offering financial help. But that help might not be quick enough. “Faced with a cash crunch so severe that they cannot make payroll next week, theater officials said Monday they will cancel their next set to begin a five-week run next Wednesday — and lay off staff unless they get $1.5 million by tomorrow. Another $1.5 million is needed to mount the season’s final show.”
Damien Hirst Against The Neighbours
Damien Hirst’s neighbours are protesting the artist’s latest plan for one of his studios in the Cotswolds. “Hirst has other studios in the Cotswolds and is turning a gothic-style mansion, Toddington Manor, near Cheltenham, into a museum for his art. At Dudbridge he is converting an old car parts factory into a studio.”