Messing around with the notion of truth is a luxury that comes with affluence. We have spent the past 50 years undermining the basic institutions of society — not just our sense of common purpose and identity, but also normative values like truth and duty and expertise. The politics of consumerism — and grievance — have overwhelmed the politics of unity and responsibility. – The New York Times
Tag: 10.06.20
Study: How Horse-Race Election Coverage Polarizes
“While researching Reporting Elections, we found that TV viewers are likely to see more policy coverage in countries with public service broadcasters. But even then, the overwhelming conclusion from looking at dozens of studies examining the nature of election coverage is that ‘who is going to win’? is a more compelling question than ‘what will they actually do when they win’?” – The Conversation
Political Signs Mean More Than The Politics
Political signs are objects with meaning beyond the literal messages they bear. And while whatever they signify depends a lot on the signs themselves and their context, it also depends on a world of cultural gestures operating below the surface. – The Baffler
The Man Who Brought Ballet Classes To Nigeria
“Born and raised in Lagos, [Daniel Owoseni] Ajala is the founder and creative director of the Leap of Dance Academy, which provides ballet [instruction] for young dancers. His school has gained worldwide attention ever since June, when he posted a video of one of his students dancing in the rain at his home. The clip went viral, leading to major scholarship opportunities and coverage from news outlets around the world. [We] spoke to Ajala about how he’s used his love for culture and dance to create a ballet program for a community that had none.” – Dance Magazine
Are We Doomed To Social Media?
One of the most intriguing debates surrounding social media is how much agency we should expect of ourselves. Can’t we just choose to put down our phones once in a while? Or has this technology hooked us so deeply that our only chance of salvation is government regulation? – Nautilus
Unknown Style Of Rock Art, 6,000 Or More Years Old, Found In Northern Australia
The Maliwawa Figures, as they’re called, date from 6,000 to 9,000 years ago and are unusual in picturing humans and animals together. Archaeologists say they are “a missing link in the history of Aboriginal art, bridging the gap between the large naturalistic animals characteristic of the dynamic figures, created about 12,000 years ago, and the stick figures that arose around 4,000 years ago, known as X-Ray art.” – Artnet
Royal Shakespeare Co. Will Keep Two Theatres Closed Until 2022; Layoffs Coming
“While the RSC’s smaller stages, the Swan and the Other Place, will remain shut, the organisation is to reopen its Royal Shakespeare theatre for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic closed venues in March. … The RSC has [slao] said that 158 people are currently in [jobs] at risk. Through voluntary redundancies and redeployment, the organisation hopes to keep the number of compulsory redundancies below 90.” – The Guardian
How Museum Gallery Design Will Change Post-COVID
In the future, experts anticipate bigger galleries that will be purpose-built to allow for social distancing, with the option to divide up the space with partitions as needed. Adjustable gallery architecture “is going to be important”, says Bruce Davis, a partner with the New York architects Cooper Robertson. “You’ll want spaces that can easily be changed and can adapt to changing trends in the display of art as well as the pandemic.” – The Art Newspaper
“Nothing Left to Lose” — My First Orchestra Job, etc.
Harvey Lichtenstein took me out to lunch and informed me that the Brooklyn Philharmonic had lost over two-thirds of its subscribers in two years. Would I be interested in taking over? I said yes, provided I could do what I wanted. And what is it you want? Harvey asked. Cross-disciplinary festival programming, I replied. Harvey said OK – he had nothing left to lose. – Joseph Horowitz
Why The Mellon Foundation Is Investing In Rethinking Monuments
“This is not a Confederate monuments project; it is a monuments project,” says Mellon Foundation president Elizabeth Alexander. That means addressing the larger issue of what values and ideas about identity are embedded in this country’s public architecture of history and memory. What is preserved, what is forgotten and what is suppressed? – Washington Post