Annie Dorsen’s Hello Hi There “is, among other things, an attempt to ‘take the mystique out of language’ by removing the human element” and replacing it with a pair of chatbots generating dialogue. “Because each line of dialogue can be followed by numerous possible responses, there are more than 84 million ways the production can unfold, Dorsen says, referring to the new art form as ‘algorithmic theatre’.”
Tag: 08.06.12
In Syria’s Civil War, Ancient Sites Are Being ‘Pulverised’
“The priceless treasures of Syria’s history – of Crusader castles, ancient mosques and churches, Roman mosaics, the renowned ‘Dead Cities’ of the north and museums stuffed with antiquities – have fallen prey to looters and destruction by armed rebels and government militias as fighting envelops the country.”
Judging An Artwork’s Authenticity In The Courtroom
“[L]awyers agree that as art prices rise, so does the temptation to turn to the courts to settle disputes over authenticity. One result is that judges and juries with no background in art can frequently be asked to arbitrate among experts who have devoted their lives to parsing a brush stroke.”
How Video Games Could Promote Cross-Generational Understanding
“In recent years, a great deal of attention has been paid to the potential of video games for good–President Obama has even appointed an expert adviser who is fashioning the first national policy initiative on video games’ role in education, health, the environment, and numerous other areas. But a vital component of games in the public interest has remained largely overlooked: intergenerational gameplay.”
Want To Be More Creative? Study Abroad
“Cultural experiences from living abroad have wide-reaching benefits on students’ creativity, including the facilitation of complex cognitive processes that promote creative thinking,” the researchers write in the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology.
Should Facebook Censor Nude Art? (How Can It Not?)
Last week Facebook removed an image of Gerhard Richter’s “Ema,” a misted view of a nude woman, on the page of the Pompidou Center…
Blood Brothers Ends West End Run After 24 Years
“The musical Blood Brothers, which has been running in London’s West End since 1988, is to close in October after 10,000 performances – making it the third longest running West End musical.”
Paulo Coelho Says Joyce’s Ulysses ‘Has Caused Great Harm’
“Today writers want to impress other writers. One of the books that caused great harm was James Joyce’s Ulysses, which is pure style. There is nothing there. Stripped down, Ulysses is a twit.” (Whereas, says Coelho, “I’m modern because I make the difficult seem easy, and so I can communicate with the whole world.”)
ABT Launches Apprentice Program
“Developing young dancers will be a new focus at American Ballet Theater. The company has announced the creation of a program for six dancers to work as apprentice members of Ballet Theater’s corps de ballet.”
Baritone With No-Longer-A-Swastika Tattoo Says He’ll Never Give Another Interview
“Opera singer Evgeny Nikitin left this summer’s Bayreuth Festival in disgrace after the German media claimed he had a swastika tattooed on his chest. The body art was never intended to look that way, Nikitin tells SPIEGEL, and he is outraged over the media’s handling of the story.”