The word is Japanese for “a kick in the eye” or “sudden illumination”; one Zen master defines it as “the acquiring of a new point of view in our dealings with life and the world” in which “our entire surroundings are viewed from quite an unexpected angle of perception.” Joscelyn Jurich offers some examples of satori in Western literature, from Camus to Calvino to McCullers.
Tag: 09.15.09
Beckett, Havel And Their Plays For Each Other
“In 1982, Samuel Beckett dedicated a new play, Catastrophe, to Václav Havel, then a political prisoner in Czechoslovakia, serving a four and a half year sentence for ‘subversive activities’. … When Havel was released the following year, he returned the honour by dedicating a play, Mistake, to Beckett.” The two one-acts are being produced as a double-bill in London.
London Dance Leaders Ask, ‘Where Are All The Women?’
“Leading figures from the dance world have raised concerns about the lack of high-profile opportunities open to female choreographers, and are urging venues and promoters to look at the gender balance of their programmes. Their concerns will be aired at a debate, called ‘Where Are All the Women?’, which is being held at the Queen Elizabeth’s Hall on October 21.”
The Sting Of Rejection: It’s Not Just A Metaphor
“At face value, these connections seem purely symbolic. In real life, loneliness doesn’t really send us shivering, and guilt doesn’t really make us feel dirty. Or do they? Recent research has found that these physical sensations can often accompany our emotions.”
The Daily Beast Names 13 ‘Young Rock Stars Of The Conducting World’
The good folks at Tina Brown’s House of Buzz are not only taking notice of orchestral music, they’re featuring it: alongside a profile of the NY Phil’s new music director, Alan Gilbert, the Beast has assembled a list of “the Most Exciting Young Conductors.” (No. 1 is, of course, Gustavo Dudamel.)
An International Battle Over Batik
“After a run of what Indonesian nationalists view as Malaysia’s poaching of its culture, the announcement last week that [UNESCO] would add batik” – Indonesian batik, mind you – “to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list … was especially welcome.” But “Malaysians, for their part, appear mostly perplexed by the Indonesian batik campaign.”
The Author Of Sense And Sensibility And Sea Monsters Fesses Up
“I found that Jane Austen and I collaborated best when I used the monsters and other interpolations not to replace but to accentuate what was already there in Austen’s novel. She made Col. Brandon a bit too old for Marianne so she would have to struggle to see his goodness; all I did by giving him an octopus face was make her struggle a little harder.”
Like A Bird On A Wire, But Also Like Sheet Music
“Brazilian composer Jarbas Agnelli saw a photo in a newspaper of birds sitting on five parallel wires, and was inspired to treat their positions as avian sheet music. He interpreted what he saw as music and orchestrated the tune.”
With Censorship, Glasgow Tarnishes Its Cultural Crown
Culture and Sport Glasgow has exercised “troubling scrutiny” over the Gallery of Modern Art’s “Sh(OUT) exhibition, a taboo-shattering lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex collection. Despite the irony in censoring a show that promotes equality and human rights, CSG and GoMA have been practising just that from the outset.”
Why The Cleveland Museum’s Court Bid Is A Bad Thing
Last fall, the Cleveland Museum of Art found itself in the midst of both a major expansion/renovation and a financial jam. “To be able to proceed, the museum … has gone to court for permission to draw up to $75 million over 10 years from the interest paid out on two endowment funds and two outside, restricted trusts for acquisitions.” It’s a troubling move.