“‘It’s important and vibrant,’ says comedian Tom Roden, ‘resonant and beautiful, rich and strange.’ These are not words usually used by comics to describe their work, but then Roden is not your usual comic. Few standups can draw on 15 years’ experience in contemporary dance.”
Tag: 07.26.10
Is There Still A Need For The Australia Council?
“We need a real debate about whether the well-intentioned but increasingly archaic central role of the Australia Council has had its day. Formed in the 1970s by the Whitlam government, the ”OzCo” introduced meaningful support for artists and organisations across theatre, dance, visual arts and literature for the first time. But times have moved on.”
Fighting Over, and At, Le Monde
France’s journal de référence has seen its circulation fall by more than a third over the last decade – a decline “aggravated by an over-staffed, outdated printing plant, archaic labour policies and substantial debt.” Yet there’s a battle on to buy the paper, involving “Paris’s power-hungry nouveau riche and intrigue at the highest levels of political power.”
Would People Pay for Twitter? No Way, Says Study
“According to the results of a study just released by USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, exactly 0 (zero!) percent of the the 2010 Digital Future Report’s 1,981 participants said they would consider paying for the popular – and to this point, free – social messaging service.”
Indonesia’s Elite Are Abandoning Indonesian for English
“For some Indonesians, as mastery of English has become increasingly tied to social standing, Indonesian has been relegated to second-class status.” It’s not unknown in Jakarta to find children of the rich who barely speak Indonesian at all. The national language is one of the key things holding the wildly diverse archipelago together.
‘State-of-the-Art’ at 100 Years Old
“All across the country, many different ‘arts’ are being pushed to their current limits as state-of-the-art hospital wings and college laboratories and concert halls and coroner’s offices take shape.” It’s a century since an engineer created the phrase that signals “that something is new and should therefore be considered the best, without really explaining why.”
Examination of Plays About Science (A Thought Experiment)
“Purpose: To determine why so few good plays about maths and science are written, when fine dramas about other academic disciplines – art, literature, history, politics – abound. (And why has wood shop never yet produced even a comedy?)”
Ireland’s National Broadcaster Could Be Privatised
“RTE, the Irish national broadcaster, has been dealt a double blow by two unconnected events – director general Cathal Goan has announced he is stepping down and the station has been put on a list of state companies to be considered for privatisation” as part of an effort to reduce Ireland’s national debt.
‘Pacific Standard Time’: The Art Extravaganza That Will Devour L.A.
“When the many-headed exhibition extravaganza ‘Pacific Standard Time’ opens in October 2011, some 40 Southern California museums and nonprofit galleries will offer shows focusing in one manner or another on the origins of the art scene here, from 1945 to 1980.” Now the Getty Trust, the project’s lead funder and organizer, is making the event even bigger.
UK Film Council to Be Abolished
“The culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, today confirmed plans to abolish the UK Film Council. … The move is part of a raft of DCMS cost-cutting measures that involve the merger, abolition or streamlining of 16 public bodies.”