There’s even a Twitter account to analyze exactly what’s going on: “As the broadcast industry shelters in place, the bookcase has become the background of choice for television hosts, executives, politicians and anyone else keen on applying a patina of authority to their amateurish video feeds.” – The New York Times
Tag: 05.01.20
The Signs Of Our Time
Streetscapes aren’t looking too great right now in many cities. And “museums and galleries around the world have locked their doors as people wait out the coronavirus pandemic in isolation. But works of street art, cropping up on bare walls and boarded-up storefronts across urban landscapes, are offering images of beauty and hope to those venturing out for exercise.” – The New York Times
Parlez-Vous Screen?
The web has its own culture, it’s own language, its own ethos. Putting facsimile arts experiences online won’t cut it. And yet, we need to develop a hybrid model that includes the online experience. – Douglas McLennan
Survey Says One Third Of Museums Could Close. How Do You Close Them?
Closing a museum is not just a matter of shutting the doors and turning off the lights. Institutions with significant collections have ethical and sometimes legal obligations to make sure that their objects are transferred elsewhere. The process can be both costly and time-consuming, experts say. – The New York Times
How Do You Reopen Hollywood? Maybe Move It To Iceland?
Iceland has tested its population widely for virus, and has had few cases so it could be safe for shooting. The country, with its sparsely populated but spacious North Atlantic geography, advanced filming infrastructure, production incentives and experienced crews, had long been an attractive shooting location. – Los Angeles Times
Why Do We Like Symmetry?
Leonard Susskind argues that we don’t. He says that “dating back to the Ancient Greeks, what’s often been perceived as elegant simplicity was almost always a fiction or an approximation covering for a much messier reality.” – Aeon
How Can You Be A Street Artist When The Streets Are Restricted?
Street artists get their juice from the urban landscape. But performers don’t have crowds to perform for. And while street painters have plenty of urban canvas, there’s not many out to see it. – The New York Times
Is It Feasible To Reopen Cinemas With A Max Of 50 People Per Screen? Norway Is Trying It
Movie theaters in Norway will reopen on May 7 with a mandatory minimum of one meter of space between each audience member and no more than 50 patrons total in any one space. (These rules follow those of Sweden, which did not close its cinemas when the novel coronavirus arrived.) If everything goes smoothly, the limit will be increased to 200 patrons per screen on June 15. – Variety
What Classic Plague Lit Tells Us About COVID — And About Its Aftermath
“The primary lesson of plague literature, from Thucydides onwards, is how predictably humans respond to such crises. Over millennia, there has been a consistent pattern to behaviour during epidemics: the hoarding, the panicking, the fear, the blaming, the superstition, the selfishness, the surprising heroism, the fixation with the numbers of the reported dead, the boredom during quarantine.” – The Guardian
Beijing Reopens Forbidden City, Museums, Parks
“The Forbidden City, past home to China’s emperors, is allowing just 5,000 visitors daily, down from 80,000. And parks are allowing people to visit at 30% of the usual capacity. … Large-scale group activities remain on hold and visitors must book tickets in advance online.” – AP