“Both walking through a city and reading a poem are ways to thoughtfully and pleasingly disrupt the flow of time and possibly to intensify or concentrate your experience. Both constitute occasions to ignore or even disrupt the prevailing fantasies—predicated on speed—of global capitalism: efficiency, profit maximization, and productivity. A poem is by design inefficient; it’s not a set of instructions or a memo or a text. A walk is almost never the fastest way to get somewhere. But both walks and poems can afford a more textured and deep experience of space and time.”
Tag: 09.27.16
Why Akram Khan Made ‘Giselle’ Into A Ballet About Migrant Workers
“As [dramaturg Ruth Little] and Khan explored their own ideas about Giselle, they realised that the ballet’s apparently formulaic simplicity was actually its strength … Most fruitful to them was exploring the underlying issue of power – the gulf of money and class that separates the aristocrats from the peasants in the ballet, and that dooms Albrecht and Giselle’s love to tragedy.”
How To Get Boys Into Ballet?
“So, how do some academies in Texas – and across the U.S. – get more boys to sign up for ballet? One way is free tuition. While girls can pay thousands of dollars a year for lessons and gear, boys can get lessons for as little as nothing.”
Finally, We’re Beginning To Understand Time
“We’ve made little progress since Einstein – until now. Some theorists, in their frustration, revert to Augustine’s deduction: that the flow of time is an illusion. Although this conclusion doesn’t fall within the realm of science (how could you falsify it?), it provides a convenient excuse for ignoring the most salient aspects of time, the flow and the now, the aspects that are at the heart of human experience. Now, in the early 21st century, it is time once again to examine the meaning of time.” Physicist Richard A. Muller explains why.
Could Blockchain Transform The Art Market?
“In the art world, blockchain technology may hold the key to overcoming one of its greatest challenges: the lack of transparency. Frequently described as the last unregulated market, the art world often operates on trust alone. But this trust keeps being tested, as recent forgery scandals such as the Knoedler Gallery fiasco and the case of German forger Wolfgang Beltracchi show. A networked digital ledger such as a blockchain could help keep track of a work of art’s movements without relying on a paper-based—and at times insecure—system of recording provenance.”
So What Exactly Is El Sistema, And Is Its Effectiveness Over-Hyped?
The music-training program that started in Venezuela and now has many versions operating all over the world, has gathered passionate adherents. But its effectiveness is difficult to judge and many of its claims are unsubstantiated.
Turner Prize Show Gets Approval Of The Critics (Oh How Things Have Changed)
Time was, everyone’s favorite sport was dumping on whatever crazy art the Turner Prize finalists had created. That was then. The critics are much more enthusiastic this year…
How ‘Weird’ Became The Term Of Civic Pride In Hipster Cities
“About 15 years ago, an independent bookseller in Texas went to battle against the specter of mega-bookstore invasion. His weapon of choice was something a purveyor of books knew best: a word. And the word was weird.”
The Hip-Hop Heroines Of Kabul
“The Taliban may no longer control the airwaves, but young women in Afghanistan still face torture and death for performing music. Meet the women who are pushing back – by rapping, singing, even playing the cello.”
New California Law Requires IMDB To Remove Actors’ Ages If Requested
“Their ages are already very public and easy to find. The law is designed for the working performer… who wanted the opportunity to be able just to be seen for the first time or to be able to go into a room when they’re not known and be able to show their work and not have the subconscious bias of their age being the deciding factor of whether they should be able to come in that room or not for an audition.”