04.24.14 – Page 2 – ArtsJournal Wayback

The Utopian Origins Of The Symbol-Signs We See At Airports

“I refer to those minimal pictographs of man, woman, child, car, sink, toilet, etc., that … are intelligible to all.” They’re from a system called Isotype, invented in the 1920, now seen on signage everywhere, and the biggest influence on current concepts of data visualization. Yet Isotype’s creators were far more concerned with human development than with helping us understand an economics chart or find the restrooms.

A History Of Office-Speak

Emma Green drills down into the origin of corporate lingo, runs it up the flagpole, provides added value, and brings increased mindshare to the bottom line. (Don’t worry: the article itself is not stupefying. And don’t forget to take the office-speak quiz!)

The Science Behind Why We’re Neurotic

“Highly neurotic individuals do not avoid action despite acknowledging its usefulness, the data suggest. Rather they represent action less favorably and inaction more favorably than emotionally stable individuals do.”

How A New Ivory Ban Is Worrying Musicians

“Under new regulations that began to take effect in February, musical instruments that have even the smallest amount of ivory are banned from entering the U.S. unless it can be proved that they were purchased before 1976. That includes any violin bows with a small piece of ivory at the tip, and also some bassoon bells and piano keys.”

Breaking: Minnesota Orchestra Rehires Osmo Vanska

“Sources reported that Vänskä was hired on a two-year contract to rebuild the orchestra. Vänskä held the post for 10 years before resigning last October during the longest labor dispute in the history of U.S. orchestras. His previous contract extended through 2015.”

Warhol’s Lost Home Computer Art (Yes, On A Commodore Amiga) Found

“The artworks, made by Warhol as part of a collaboration with Commodore Amiga, had been stranded on Amiga floppy disks for almost twenty years after the artist saved them in the mid-1980s. They were only discovered and rescued from their obsolete format thanks to the chance viewing of a YouTube clip.”

Jeffrey Kahane Resigns As Music Director Of LA Chamber Orchestra

“Kahane, 57, is the ensemble’s fifth music director since the group was founded in 1968. He assumed his post in 1997. The conductor, who is an L.A. native and currently lives in Santa Rosa, Calif., is also an accomplished pianist and continues to perform and conduct with ensembles around the world.”

Ben Heppner Retires From Singing

“At his peak during the 1990s, Heppner was in demand around the world as one of the few tenors able to succeed in the demanding heroic tenor roles of German opera, as well as in Italian works such as Verdi’s Otello and Puccini’s Turandot.”

Well, Here’s One Good Thing Coming Out Of Russia’s Annexation Of Crimea: Antiquities Looting Is Being Addressed

“Russia’s annexation of Crimea, a region rich in archaeological sites that are routinely targeted by looters, has thrust illegal excavations around the shore of the Black Sea onto the political agenda. Mikhail Piotrovsky, the director of the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, which has run archaeological digs in Crimea for decades, addressed the topic in a presentation to the Russian parliament in March, shortly after the peninsula voted to join Russia.”

Tag: 04.24.14