“From at least the 16th century until as late as the early 1900s, a pigment made from mummified human remains appeared on the palettes of European artists … Painters prized ‘mummy brown’ for its rich, transparent shade. As a result, an unknown number of ancient Egyptians are spending their afterlife on art canvases, unwittingly admired in museum galleries around the world.”
Tag: 09.16.16
God, Did I Write That? New York Times Gets Playwrights To Look Back At Their Teenage Work
“How mortifying would it be to page through the creative writing you did as a teenager? And then, years or even decades later, actually see it in print? That’s what we recently asked a set of notable playwrights” – among them Lynn Nottage, Neil LaBute, Tina Howe, Nicky Silver, and Marcus Gardley – “to do.”
How The Alt-Right Pepe The Frog Trolls Punked The ‘Normie’ Media
“So how the hell did they gain so much notoriety the Hillary Clinton campaign felt a need to respond to their memes? What happened? It all stems from an interesting collision between those trolls and another group of people – political journalists and operatives – who have very different incentive systems.”
How Blockchain Could Be The Next Big Disruption In The $15 Billion Music Business
“Any industry that in encumbered by inefficient intermediaries is in danger of disruption, and the music industry is ripe for it. There are many blockchain oriented startups in this area, but two of them shine through as having a unique, innovative perspective on what should be done.”
The First Woman Science Fiction Author Was A 17th-Century Duchess
“No one could get into philosophical argument with Lady Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and walk away unchanged. Born in 1623, Cavendish was an outspoken aristocrat who traveled in circles of scientific thinkers, and broke ground on proto-feminism, natural philosophy (the 17th century term for science), and social politics. In her lifetime, she published 20 books. But amid her poetry and essays, she also published one of the earliest examples of science fiction. In 1666. She named it The Description of a New World, Called the Blazing World.”
Public Art Or Giant Gas Company Logo? Belfastians Duke It Out
“The 11-metre high structure was funded by Creative Belfast, a partnership between Belfast City Council and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, which invested £900,000 in seven large-scale projects showcasing the city’s cultural heritage. But Origin, which cost £100,000, has attracted poor reviews, with one critic accusing the project of ‘financial frippery’.”
Turning The Daily Go-To-Work Grind Into Dance
“Every day, billions of people in America and around the world wake up and start their daily rituals to eventually end up at work. Preparing for work can entail so many details, but for most it involves both mental preparation and some kind of physical preparation, whether it’s getting into office-appropriate clothing or physically traveling to one’s place of work.” Enter choreographer Dana Gingras and her company, The Holy Body Tattoo.
The Latest Front In The War On Ticket Bots: The Bette Midler ‘Hello, Dolly!’
“The situation is exacerbated because Midler’s engagement in the show will be a limited one, beginning performances on March 15th, 2017 and opening officially on April 20. No end date has been announced, … [but] it’s a marathon role and Bette will be 71 when she comes down the steps of Harmonia Gardens Restaurant.”
She’s Almost As Curvy As The Venus Of Willendorf, And She’s At Least 7,500 Years Old
“The marmoreal stone object, with such details as hip creases and an indented navel in a protruding stomach, weighs 1kg and is 17cm in length. Its uniqueness is due to its material (while this is stone, most figurines are clay), its skillful carving and its intact condition.”
$104,000 For Taxis: Auditors Blast Benjamin Millepied’s Paris Opera Ballet For Spending
“On Thursday, France’s state auditors, the Cour des Comptes, lambasted 10 directors for running up nearly €93,350 [$104,281] in taxi bills between them in 2013 and 2014 … [as well as meals worth] about €52,000 [$58,000] in 2014 by just four members of staff.”