The British Museum has rejected a request by Egypt to return the Rosetta Stone or loan it. “The trustees do not consent to the loan of what might be called ‘iconic’ objects which we consider to be central to the collection’—such as the Rosetta Stone. It added: ‘We have excellent relationships with all our professional colleagues in Egypt. Whilst we are always willing to discuss new ways of cooperating with them on joint projects, we are clear, as are they, that the Rosetta Stone will stay in London.’ This statement appears to rule out a loan.”
Tag: 09.12.03
Guggenheim In Taiwan?
The Guggenheim board is considering a plan to build a branch of the museum in Taiwan. “The planned museum is to become part of a new NT$12.4 billion ($360.4 million) district in Taichung to include an opera house designed by Jean Nouvel, architect of the proposed Guggenheim Rio, and a new City Hall to be designed by Frank Gehry, architect of the Guggenheim Bilbao. The familiar roster is no coincidence, as Mr Krens served as advisor to the city in selecting the architects.”
Dali And The Mouse
“In 1946, Walt Disney and Salvador Dalí, in one of cinema’s oddest collaborations, teamed up on a short film called Destino. But Disney’s studio ran into financial trouble and put the unfinished film on the shelf. Now, 57 years later, a team of Disney animators has finished what Dalí started… Destino will likely be shown in theaters next year before a Disney feature film, and eventually will be released on DVD.”
Outflashing The Flash Mob
The founder of the now-global “Flash Mob” movement, in which seemingly random groups of people appear at a designated location and do something odd for a few minutes before dissipating, has decided to end his New York City-based mob’s performances. The founder, known as “Bill,” organized one final flash mob which was supposed to eventually lead participants to a party celebrating their common love of befuddling the public. But instead, the mob was thrown for a loop by a single man with a briefcase and a neon sign, and participants wound up as puzzled as the passersby they were supposed to be confounding. Naturally, Bill thinks the whole thing was just great.
How We Act As Reflected In Book Sales
Amazon sales rankings might be must-checks for mostg authors, but they also give researchers a fascinating window on how sales are affected by prices.
Remnick’s New Yorker: As Ever, Standing Apart
The New Yorker may be the most storied magazine in American history. More than two dozen books have been written about its history, and “over the years, no magazine has succeeded as consistently in maintaining a sense of originality. True, other publications can boast a higher circulation than the New Yorker’s 958,000. And many have greater reach on Main Street and Wall Street, not to mention at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. But how many have a mystique for publishing memorable writing?” Under new editor David Remnick, the magazine seems to be once again reinventing itself, with Remnick insisting that he didn’t sign on to be a “museum steward.” But with so much protective fervor surrounding New Yorker’s past, Remnick may have a difficult route to the future.
A Good, Solid TIFF
This year’s Toronto International Film Festival seems to have hit on all cylinders, a welcome change from the last couple of years, when TIFF was necessarily overshadowed by world events. Several Toronto critics were duly impressed by the mood of this year’s fest, in addition to praising the high quality of this year’s entries. Joanna Schneller may have summed up TIFF’s year: “It was a good, solid year for the festival. There hasn’t been that one great breakout film, but there are also fewer stinkers.”
Boston’s New Arts Neighborhood
Any native Bostonian can tell you that the South End is not exactly the glamorous section of town. But a newly revitalized neighborhood in Southie, long populated by local artists and recently discovered by gallery owners, is proving once again that art can change the image and culture of even the most run-down areas. “The gallery boomlet has occurred despite the sputtering economy of the last two years, thanks to the housing market, which has been white hot in the neighborhood, drawing artists and people who want to put art on their new walls.”
Musicians Have Bigger Brains
“Mozart increases mental mass. Scientists revealed yesterday that members of a British symphony orchestra had more little grey cells than ordinary people in a part of the brain known as Broca’s area… [A researcher] examined the brains of musicians under the age of 50 and found that they had added to their grey matter. Then she looked at non-musicians under the 50, and found an age-related decline. Where musicians still played fortissimo, non-musicians were beginning a diminuendo.”
No Breakthroughs In Charlotte Strike
A federal mediator has stepped in, and talks are going on around the clock, but there is still no end in sight for the Charlotte Symphony musicians’ strike. This weekend’s season-opening concerts have been cancelled, and no one involved in the talks seems to think a breakthrough is near. At issue is the orchestra’s desire to cut back the number of paid weeks per year for which it contracts its musicians, in order to make up a $645,000 deficit. The musicians claim that the deficit, the orchestra’s first in seven years, is an aberration, and that no salary cuts should be necessary. Musicians in the Charlotte Symphony currently make $31,200 per year. The proposed cut would knock them back to $28,860.