“The decade since the 2001 destruction of the twin towers, an attack that some predicted would spell the end of the tall building, have turned out to be the busiest ever for skyscraper design. More skyscrapers have gone up in the last 10 years than in all of architectural history before the destruction of the World Trade Center – and by a significant margin.”
Tag: 09.04.11
Akram Khan Finally Engages With His Ancestral (Bangladeshi) Culture
“But it turns out that kathak, the form of classical Indian dance Khan has so successfully fused with elements of western contemporary dance, originates from the north of India and isn’t particularly connected with Bangladesh after all. And that he himself admits to avoiding engaging with Bangladeshi culture in his work.”
San Francisco Symphony @100 (Nothing By Accident)
“The Symphony’s progression from the late 1970s to its centennial year may look organic and preordained when viewed in retrospect. But none of it happened by accident or without some risky and counterintuitive moves along the way.”
Degas, Seen Through The Eyes Of A Dance Critic
“His views of dance … include those who aren’t dancing, those who can’t dance well yet, those who once danced but can do so no longer, and a great many of those who can but happen not to be doing so just now. … [C]ertainly no great artist has ever returned to the mechanics and sociology of the professional dancer’s art more often than Degas or has understood them so well.”
Bassoonists Strike Back!
“The bassoon is one of the most difficult instruments in the orchestra to play, but people just don’t take it seriously. That’s not surprising when you get a glimpse of the thing.” But these days bassoonists are showing how their instrument can sing, swing and rock – solo and in groups like The Bassoon Brothers and The Breaking Winds.
Kansas Governor Brownback Gets Cold Shoulder At Arts Event
“Brownback is viewed as the enemy by arts supporters in Kansas City and across Kansas, which became the first state in the country to effectively do away with its state arts agency. In February he signed two executive orders, one abolishing the state arts commission and transferring its duties to the Kansas Historical Society, the other creating the Kansas Arts Foundation, envisioned as a nonprofit corporation that would be funded privately.”
Unicorns, God And Memory: Chatbots Go All Beckett When They Talk
What happens when a ‘bot talks to a ‘bot? Weird things. For example: “I’m not a robot. I’m a unicorn.”
Pippilotti Rist: 300 Pairs Of Underwear And A Dab Of Philosophy
What the artist thinks about her planned exhibit: “They will look like whipped cream. Or sheep’s heads, with the legs of the pants forming the eyes. I hope they will make people smile, but also think about the relationship we have with this important, sexually charged area in the middle of our bodies.”
Photographed Taking Photos of Photographs
“The ubiquity of cameras in exhibitions can be dismaying,” writes Roberta Smith, but the camera “has become intrinsic to many people’s aesthetic responses.”
Sir Ian McKellen Failed First, Only To Succeed (Wildly) Later
The actor returns to the scene of an early humiliation, and dishes about everything and everyone from David Frost to his acting method, which is certainly not method acting.