A look at “pseudo-histories” such as the Lost Continent of Atlantis, “preColumbian exploration and colonization of the Americas; the role of false history among such racist religious groups as Christian Identity and the Nation of Islam; [and] ‘histories’ of cosmic catastrophes and interplanetary visitations.”
Tag: 08.05.09
Fake Histories Of The World (And Who Reads Them)
“What is striking about pseudo-histories and sciences is how repetitive they are and, despite their extravagant speculations, how limited their visions are. They are mechanical and lack the éclat – the surprises – of science and history. What is their allure? What are the circumstances of their rise and fall? What is – and was – their audience?”
Culture & The White House – Rethinking Required
“To be sure, the frequent presence of artists in the White House provides us with reason to be hopeful that the new administration will be a good partner for the arts community. But taking advantage of this opportunity will require a dramatic rethinking of the way we engage with policymakers.”
3D Television Is On The Way
“3D movies are all the rage in Hollywood once again, and this time flatscreen TV makers are joining in the party, promising to release a slew of 3D-ready TV sets for our lounge rooms as early as next year.”
The Most Pivotal Event In History: An Online Poll (Jesus Is Runner-Up)
“What was the most important year in human history? That was the question we put to you in our first More Intelligent Life poll, which brought votes from nearly 3,000 readers. And the winner is … 1439, the year Johannes Gutenberg figured out how [to] print words on paper. The arrival of the printing press saw off all other events including the birth of Jesus.”
Why Didn’t Bach Ever Write An Opera?
“Among the odd assortment of Festival opera this year, no production is more curious than that billed as Johann Sebastian Bach’s Actus tragicus. After all, the greatest ever Lutheran church composer never actually wrote an opera. Closer inspection … reveals this to be a modern assemblage of six of Bach’s sacred cantatas, fused together” — and so the question remains: “Why did he never turn his genius to the opera stage?”
Under Pressure, Skylight Opera Managing Director Resigns
“Embattled Skylight Opera Theatre managing director Eric Dillner has resigned, ending a standoff that pitted company management and its board of directors against the artists who have regularly worked for the troupe. … William Theisen, whose dismissal on June 16 began the strife at the Skylight, will not return as artistic director, but he will direct four of the five shows he originally planned to stage for the 2009-’10 season – the company’s 50th.”
After Death, What Happens To A Choreographer’s Oeuvre?
“[I]magine a situation where the paintings of Rauschenberg or Bacon were taken down from galleries as soon as those artists died; where the novels of Saul Bellow were removed from the bookshelves, or the music of Stravinsky was silenced. … No other art form would accept for a second that death implied the possible death of an artist’s oeuvre. But what makes this a genuine issue for modern dance is the umbilically close connection between most choreographers, their companies and their work.”
Despite Scarce Funding, A New String Camp For Poor Kids
“A recession is no time to launch a new summer music camp, especially one that would be free to inner-city kids. The sheer audacity of it is impressive. … John Littlejohn — that is his real name — says he didn’t raise as much money as he would have liked to launch his camp, dubbed Thrive City String Academy. So he shortened it and invited fewer kids.”
NYC’s Guggenheim Museum At The Half-Century Mark
“Fifty years ago, an object landed on Fifth Avenue in New York City. It looked like it had dropped from outer space, and was treated as such. Writer Norman Mailer said it ‘shattered the mood of the neighborhood’ — ‘wantonly’ and ‘barbarically.’ Prominent avant-garde artists signed a petition against it, even though it was meant to hold contemporary art.”