Streetwise Opera, the British company for people struggling with homelessness, founded the choir Uma Só Voz/With One Voice for the 2016 Olympics, and the city has kept it going. Two AFP reporters talk with members of the choir about what singing with the group has done for their lives. – Yahoo! (AFP)
Tag: 05.30.19
Shifting The Opera Gaze
“Women in opera need to be not only acknowledged for their work, their passion and dedication to the artform, but placed front and centre, asked for their opinion, introduced as a driving force in the industry. The championing of the representation of women in opera, inviting women in, making space, and creating opportunities, enriches the opera ecology exponentially. Women in all facets of the opera creative industry – composers, directors, designers, conductors, singers, writers, producers – need to be recognised, supported and seen.” – Limelight (Australia)
Did Complex Societies Lead To Belief In Powerful, Punishing Gods? Or Vice Versa?
Vice versa, argues Joseph Henrich. “He contends that moralizing gods spurred societal complexity because belief in moralizing gods leads to success in intergroup competition. It increased trust and cooperation among a growing population of relative strangers, he said, and buttressed traits like bravery in warfare.” – Nautilus
Belief In Deities May Not Be The Important Part Of Religion
“What if belief in the supernatural is window dressing on what really matters — elaborate rituals that foster group cohesion, creating personal bonds that people are willing to die for.” – Nautilus
Ballet Is Beautiful, And It’s Also A Sport
“The ballerina’s challenge is to hide how hard she’s working, which is why behind-the-scenes ballet stories are always so appealing — it’s satisfying to see the athleticism inherent to the art.” – The Cut
Artist Tells Facebook And Instagram To Free The Nipple
Spencer Tunick takes photos of choreographed crowds of naked people at monuments and in natural settings all over the world. He calls them “flesh architecture,” and he’d like it if Instagram would quit censoring his art. – Asbury Park Press (New Jersey)
Want A More Creative Brain? Here’s What The Neuroscientists Suggest
Since the early 1990s, we’ve come to develop a more thorough and accurate understanding of what a brain engaged in creative thought “looks like.” The key, it seems, is integration: the firing of strong, lateral networks, connecting a diverse range of brain pathways in both hemispheres. – Fast Company
Some Rethinking On The Philosophical Separation Of Mind And Body
The concept of reason itself is built on a profoundly gendered blueprint. But a surprising rapprochement might be in sight: between feminists who criticise the mind/matter split, and certain philosophers and scientists who are now trying to put them back together. – Aeon
Have The Arts Gotten So Focused On The Mechanics Of Survival That We Forget To Talk About The Art?
Steve Slater: “This is nothing new, and it is not confined to the arts. We see the same pattern repeated again and again in fields like education, health and the police, all of which suffer from diminishing hands-on contact with those they profess to serve.” – Arts Professional
The NYT As Talent Scout
The paper of record showcases a dozen performers – dancers, musicians, street performers – in New York, shows you their work in a multimedia package, and gives some insights into their lives. – The New York Times