“I see the BBC as a broker in these times. It is the next stage for us. We must make sure culture remains confident in this country.”
Tag: 06.19.09
Lying Back, Thinking Of England, And Taking Notes
“Sex writing, as we all know so well from the Literary Review’s annual Bad Sex Awards, is hard to do well. But for women, it now seems it’s getting even harder, thanks to recent remarks from Kate Copstick, the new publisher of the Erotic Review, who’s declared her intention to scale back on female writers in the magazine – apparently, we can’t write about sex because we don’t like it that much.”
Benedict Nightingale’s 15 Theatre Etiquette Rules
No. 13: “If the child you’re bringing is chatty, gag it. If it’s fidgety, handcuff and shackle it. And if you’re altruistic enough to bring a school party to a Shakespeare matinée, threaten potential wrongdoers with tickets to the next revival of Timon of Athens, to be followed by a ten-page essay on the ethics of Apemantus.”
Campaign To Improve London’s “Shameful” Backstages
“Considering London’s first-class reputation for theatre venues, it’s a shame that some of them appear to be in such disrepair backstage, particularly when so much has been done to improve those areas used by the public.”
That Aha! Moment – Science Studies Daydreaming
“In today’s innovation economy, engineers, economists and policy makers are eager to foster creative thinking among knowledge workers. Until recently, these sorts of revelations were too elusive for serious scientific study… Lately, researchers have been able to document the brain’s behavior during Eureka moments by recording brain-wave patterns and imaging the neural circuits that become active as volunteers struggle to solve anagrams, riddles and other brain teasers.”
Inside The Black Hole That Is The Venice Biennale
“The show, containing the work of 90-plus artists, doesn’t offend or go off the rails. Rather, it looks pretty much the way these sorts of big international group shows and cattle calls now look; it includes the artists that these sorts of shows now include. It’s full of the reflexive conceptualism that artists everywhere now produce because other artists everywhere produce it (and because curators curate it).”
Thief Or Artist? Project With Stolen Traffic Barrels Gets Big Public Support
“With more than 3,000 people from as far away as Korea and Brazil joining a Facebook group calling for charges to be thrown out, Mr. Carnevale’s monster stunt touches on the growing legitimacy and celebrity of guerrilla artists. In many ways, sympathy for Carnevale stems from a cultural resistance to authority and the celebration of harmless fun in the face of overly serious prosecutors.”
Chicago Art Institute Cuts Staff
“The Art Institute of Chicago has laid off 22 employees, or 3 percent of its staff, as part of a larger series of cost-cutting measures. in a statement issued Friday, the Art Institute said its other cost-cutting measures include a voluntary 10 percent pay cut for the director, a weeklong unpaid furlough for employees and a salary freeze.’
Versailles Jumps In To Contemporary Art
“Buoyed by the intense interest in its Jeff Koons contemporary art show last year, France’s Chateau de Versailles has unveiled this week the first piece of this year’s exhibit: A dynamic sculpture depicting a team of bright purple cube-like horses pulling a carriage.”
Talent Managers Face Big Changes As Management Biz Reorganizes
“While the industry has been abuzz during recent weeks about consolidation in the agency business, less discussed is the effect these changes are having on a management community that has grown exponentially during the past decade but faces the same industrywide slowdown in job opportunities.”