“All colour photographs fade. According to best estimates, the average colour print has a shelf life of about 200 years. Now, in Basel, Switzerland, the Cesar Foundation, chaired by Claudio Cesar, an American photography collector who runs a company that specialises in coloured glass is trying to reverse this deterioration.”
Tag: 09.20.03
Dance Umbrella at 25
Since London’s Dance Umbrella festival launched in 1978, much has changed in the public perception of modern dance. These days, modern dance is arguably more popular than classical ballet, and the influence of contemporary choreographers is everywhere in the dance world, and even finds its way into pop culture. Dance Umbrella may not be able to claim credit for changing the way the world watches dance, but it has become an undeniably important cornerstone of London’s cultural scene.
Too Old School For Its Own Good?
The Greek coastal city of Epidaurus is one of the most theatrically significant places in all the Western world. The city’s history as a center of classical theater has made it a haven for directors and actors all across Greece. “At the same time, the long shadow of tradition has transformed Epidaurus… into a bulwark against innovation. For the most part, the acting style that dominates is one of contrived high artifice. An army of conservative critics carefully polices every production, savaging any whiff of novelty and pouncing on even the vaguest suggestion of modernism.”
Rattle In Berlin: No Sparks Just Yet
When Simon Rattle, the most heralded young conductor of the last several decades, signed on to head the Berlin Philharmonic, widely considered to be the best orchestra in the world, it seemed like a failure-proof partnership. Rattle could shake up the stodgy Berlin establishment, while at the same time gaining the support of the musicians with his undeniable talent with the baton. But more than a year into the Rattle era, Stephen Everson isn’t seeing much to back up all the hype. At this year’s Proms, “it was very striking how little attention the players seemed to pay to their director, and how little his gestures seemed to demand of them.”
Trying To Hold On To An Orchestra’s Paper Trail
The now-defunct Florida Philharmonic will soon begin liquidating its assets, signaling the final demise of the organization. But many are hoping that, as has been the case in so many other cities where orchestras have failed, a new ensemble will rise from the ashes of the old one. The musicians are still around, for the most part, and a new board could be cobbled together fairly quickly. But there is one piece of the old orchestra that almost has to be preserved if a replacement group is to get off the ground successfully: the library. An orchestra’s library is its paper trail, the only physical directions its musicians have. But the Phil says that no one in the area has yet come forward with an offer sufficient to acquire the library.
Toronto’s Art Deco Renaissance
“When art deco arrived in Toronto in the late ’20s, it was more than an aesthetic or just a style; it was a declaration of faith — faith in the future and the power of technology. From the vantage point of today, such optimism seems naïve, even touching. The notion that art and industry can be combined, brought together in the service of mass-produced beauty, has been reduced to the lowest common denominator of mass marketing. Now, thanks to the Royal Ontario Museum and its London partner, the Victoria and Albert Museum, art deco is about to make a comeback, a rather splendid one at that… But the one form that the show can’t fully cover, architecture, can still be enjoyed in buildings around the city.”
Looking For Crumbs In California
This summer, the California Arts Council’s budget was slashed from $16 million to $1 million, a near-zeroing out of the state’s commitment to cultural spending. But at least one San Francisco legislator isn’t accepting the cuts: Mark Leno is attempting to restore about half of the council’s original budget through what he calls a “‘minimal’ entertainment-related fee — not a tax, he’s quick to point out — to directly fund the council.”
Pittsburgh Musicians To Vote On Roller Coaster Contract
The musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, which has fallen on difficult economic times in the last few years, are set to vote this week on a new 3-year contract. The agreement calls for a hefty wage cut in the first year in order to allow the PSO to get its financial house in order, but by the third year of the contract, the musicians’ base salary would rise to 95% of the average of four of the highest-paid orchestras in the U.S., a percentage which could guarantee each musician a raise of nearly $20,000 in 2005.
The Bottom Line Hits Bottom
The fabled Bottom Line music club in New York’s Greenwich Village has fallen on hard times, and is facing eviction from its legendary NYU location. The club is reportedly $185,000 behind on its rent, and the university which owns the building wants to turn it into classrooms. A court hearing this week could decide the matter.
Ownership And The Dance
“Contentious debates over artistic ownership generally seem to revolve around online music piracy or Mickey Mouse. But dance is facing unexpected and vexing questions about artists’ rights as well. Do choreographers own their dances? Or are they simply employees who give up ownership to organizations that commission or support their work? As dance moves out of studio and into the world of corporate support, such issues have become more urgent.”