The question for filmmakers and TV executives following some horrific global event or, worse, a full-fledged war, is always the same: how much time is enough? How long until the public will be ready to be entertained by this subject? Usually, the answer is measured in years, which makes Stephen Bochco’s new series groundbreaking on its face. Bochco is attempting to tell the stories of the still highly controversial Iraq war while the conflict is still going on.
Tag: 07.27.05
Black Theatre In The UK Looks To Move Forward
England’s Arts Council has denied a funding request for a new dedicated black theatre called Talawa, setting off a storm of criticism from the company. But not everyone is sure the council’s decision will hurt black theatre in London. “While nobody in the black theatre community… is glad to see the project fail, and all express concern about Talawa’s now uncertain future, many see this as an opportunity to reassess the needs of black theatre in Britain when its profile is undergoing significant changes.”
On The Plus Side, Hypocrisy Has A New ‘Exhibit A’
Conceptual artist Mark McGowan has been informed by London’s water board that, if he does not dismantle his latest installation, which consists of a tap running continuously and the water swirling down a drain, the board will cut off water service to the entire gallery in which the work is being displayed. McGowan’s intention was to highlight waste, which one could argue he has now done quite effectively, pouring some 800,000 litres of water into the London sewers in the midst of one of the worst droughts southeast England has seen in decades. The tap was originally meant to run for an entire year.
News Flash: File Traders Are Actually Music Fans!
“Computer-literate music fans who illegally share tracks over the internet also spend four and a half times as much on digital music as those who do not, according to research published today. The survey confirms what many music fans have informally insisted for some time: that downloading tracks illegally has also led them to become more enthusiastic buyers of singles and albums online. Unlikely to be music to the ears of record companies, who have previously argued the opposite, the results will raise a question mark over the companies’ recent drive to pursue individual file sharers through the courts.”
The Penguin Smell Really Should Have Been A Giveaway
American artist Wayne Hill thought he was making a fairly plain and obvious statement when he returned from a trip to the Antarctic with two bottles of water melted from the ice shelf, and arranged to exhibit them as a comment on global warming. As it turns out, the work was a bit too subtle for one thirsty visitor, who apparently chugged the lot.
Adelaide To Get All Giga-Faceted
The 2006 edition of the Adelaide Festival will aim to heal the wounds left by the much-maligned 2002 version overseen by Peter Sellars, and the latest thinking appears to be that a merger of art and technology is the best way for the festival to move forward. “It is minimalist, futuristic and, to use one of [festival] director Brett Sheehy’s buzz phrases, ‘reflective of the giga-faceted world in which we live’.”
Australia Losing Two Important Aboriginal Works
“Two important paintings by the famed Aboriginal artist Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri that sold at a Sotheby’s auction on Monday have gone to overseas collectors. It is believed the National Gallery of Australia had hoped to buy Emu Corroboree Man as it was the first painting Clifford Possum produced. The gallery appears to have lost out when furious bidding pushed the price to a record for the artist. Melbourne art dealer Irene Sutton bought the small work for $411,750, which she said was on behalf of an American collector… As it was brought back from the US for the sale, it is not covered by Australia’s Moveable Cultural Heritage Act, which restricts the removal of early Aboriginal works from Australia. The second Clifford Possum, a wall-sized painting titled Man’s Love Story, was bought by a French collector also for $411,750. It also falls outside the heritage act.”
Melbourne Goes Pop (Sort Of)
The Melbourne Symphony is launching a new series of pops concerts to go along with its classical offerings, prompting consternation from some corners of the business in which such shows are thought to represent a dumbing down of the product. But to judge from what’s being placed on the pops shows, these will be a far cry from the pops shows played by many American orchestras, in which 100 classically trained musicians become a droning backup band for an aging pop star. The Melbourne series will be more in the model of Arthur Fiedler’s old Boston Pops concerts, featuring light classics and jazz-influenced works.
Atlanta Art Schools To Merge
The Atlanta College of Art has announced a plan which would remove it from the city’s umbrella organization, the Woodruff Arts Center, and would see it join forces with the new Atlanta campus of the Savannah College of art and Design. SCAD “now has more than 7,000 students enrolled in classes at its flagship Savannah campus. About 150 students have signed up for fall classes at the Atlanta location, and SCAD projects that 600 students will be enrolled by 2008. About 350 students attend the Atlanta College of Art, which calls itself the oldest private college of art and design in the Southeast.” News of the proposed merger came as a shock to faculty at both schools, and there are issues of accredidation to be considered, as well.
American Woman
Current controversies aside, Marin Alsop’s journey to the directorship of the Baltimore Symphony began decades ago, and didn’t come about because she was looking to be a pioneer. She just wanted to conduct, and saw no reason why, in the 20th century, a woman shouldn’t be able to do that. But regardless of gender, it’s extremely hard to become a professional conductor – after all, you have no instrument to practice on, unless you can convince a group of 6 dozen or so friends to let you practice on them. Further, being an American is arguably a bigger impediment to success than being female. Alsop’s ascension to the top conducting ranks may be instructive not only for women, but for all young musicians looking to wave the baton themselves someday.