In the Russian Federation’s Sakha Republic — whose capital, Yakutsk, is considered the coldest big city on Earth — locally-made movies, many in the local Yakut language, often outsell international blockbusters. In an article titled “Arctic zombie apocalypse,” a correspondent looks at the challenge of making films in Sakha, from harrowing temperatures (down to 50 below) to horrifying mosquitoes (“When one buzzes in front of the lens, it looks like a horse is galloping across the frame”). – The Economist
Tag: 07.11.19
Why Other Experiences Help Make Better Artists
“You’re trying to do something new to you, and in some cases new to anyone. One of the sources of power for doing things like that is having really broad experiences.” That often requires trying, and failing, at a number of different activities. – Artsy
A Look Inside The Ruins Of Notre Dame
The man responsible for overseeing the reconstruction of Notre-Dame says the risks of a catastrophic collapse are small but that the true extent of the damage will not be known until at least the end of the year. Until then, it will remain a triage site. – Time
A Huge Illicit Antiquities Market Hiding In Plain Sight On Facebook
“Last month, the ATHAR Project published an important report on West Asian antiquities trafficking taking place more or less out in the open — on Facebook. … The report, ‘Facebook’s Black Market in Antiquities: Trafficking, Terrorism, and War Crimes,’ published in June, is the result of nearly two years of research.” – Hyperallergic
Vandalism And Self-Mutilation As Art (Jail Too)
For Pyotr Pavlensky, the judicial process is an integral part of the artwork. “The government’s aim is to suppress or neutralize art, to reduce me to a vandal, a madman, a provocateur, but the criminal case becomes one of the layers of the artwork, the portal through which you enter and see the mechanisms of power exposed.” – The New York Times
The New Bookstore In Chicago That’s Also Showcasing Original Art
In her new bookstore in Chicago – the only one owned by a Black woman – owner and curator DL Mullen has more than books. “What might be most visually striking about the space is the art itself, like the mural which dominates the shop’s north wall. Street artist Ahmad Lee painted it in one 11-hour stretch, vividly depicting two of Mullen’s favorite artists: Frida Kahlo and Jean-Michel Basquiat.” There’s more art upstairs, and the books are also curated in a grand book and art experiment. – Chicago Magazine
Will Grassroots European Presenters Stop Booking UK Artists Post-Brexit?
“Across Europe, voluntary promoters, programmers and enthusiasts employ UK artists. They don’t get paid, they don’t receive funding and they often lose money from their own pockets to keep the show on the road. They do it because they love it, because they want to share the art they love in the communities where they live – and they love British artists. They create vital grassroots ecosystems that are all but invisible to UK policy-makers, whose narrow view of culture is constrained to the assemblage of creaking institutions to which they are bound.” – Arts Professional
Dancing With Artificial Intelligence
Wayne McGregor teamed up with Google engineers and creative technologists to train the algorithm, called “Living Archive,” using thousands of hours of video from the choreographer’s previous works over 25 years. It was a way of “activating the archives” and “hijacking its past,” McGregor said. – Los Angeles Times
Unlimited Information And Free Access? Turns Out It Was A Problematic Idea
The Palo Alto Consensus held that American-made internet communication technologies (both hardware and software) should be distributed globally and that governments should be discouraged from restricting speech online. Its proponents believed that states in which public discourse was governed by “everyone” — via social media and the internet — would become more democratic. – The New York Times
Meet The Remarkable Darren Walker
“To me the question is, How do we as the Ford Foundation, and I as its president, leverage the foundation’s and my networks, and on behalf of whom?” – The New York Times