“When everything is available — and previously ephemeral, arcane, or rare footage is only a click away — an appropriate scholarship can only begin by tracing the robust trails of information radiating from any given object.”
Tag: 06.04.14
Hollywood’s Oldest Living Extra
“Shep Houghton, who turns 100 today, could shape his era if he wanted. … During a career that stretched from Josef von Sternberg silents to Streisand musicals, Houghton was propositioned by a Munchkin, blew off Lucille Ball, and taught Greta Garbo to waltz.”
Houston Grand Opera Ends Expanded Season In The Black
“After expanding its season for the fourth year in a row, Houston Grand Opera … projects that its operating budget of about $27.7 million will come out in the black … Ticket sales totaled 92 percent of capacity for the mainstage series.”
Has Art History Lost Its Experts?
“I believe that the basic lack of connoisseurial skills we are faced with in art history is weakening the foundations of the discipline. I may be selfishly delighted when major US museums accidentally de-accession works by Van Dyck or Rubens (it happens more often than you might think), but for the public’s trust in an institution it is a disaster.”
Meet Ballet’s Tallest Professional Dancer
Fabrice Calmels (6’6″) of the Joffrey: “You know, it was a disadvantage for the longest time … being so tall, a lot of the time people didn’t know what to do with me. … I couldn’t show what I was doing and who I really was as a performer because all they would see is that height.”
The Man Who Allegedly Stole Frank Almond’s Strad Tells VICE How (He Says) It All Went Down
“His lawyer had no idea he was speaking to me, but [Salah] Salahadyn said he didn’t care. He took exception to the way I had portrayed him in the original story, and he wanted to clarify things.”
What Can A City Do With Old Shipyard Cranes? Use Them For Light Sculptures
That’s what the Croatian city of Pula did eight of the mammoth machines. Lighting designer Dean Skira’s Lighting Giants uses 73 LED spotlights that can be programmed to make about 16,000 different patterns. (includes photo essay and video)
How Sleep Helps Build Memory
“Neuroscientists believe that memory involves the modification of synapses, which connect brain cells, and numerous studies published over the past decade have shown that sleep enhances the consolidation of newly formed memories in people. But exactly how these observations were related was unclear.”
On The Eve Of This Year’s Toronto Luminato Festival, Fears About Its Future Funding
“The festival is without guaranteed long-term funding from the province and has a looming multimillion-dollar hole in future budgets, as its $15-million-dollar reserve fund is almost dry.”
Art Thieves Usually Steal For The Money. Here’s A Thief Who Just Loves The Art
“Patrick Vialaneix is that rare being – a thief motivated by the love of art. He says he fell in love with the painting when he saw it at the age of 13 and regularly visited it from then onwards to stand rapt before the genius of Rembrandt. Finally, he worked out how he could use his skills as a security technician to steal it.”