Tag: 10.13.03

Glasgow’s Conspiracy Theory: They Hate Visual Artists?

A conspiracy theory is ripping through Glasgow’s visual arts community. “It goes something like this: Glasgow City Council, which owns Tramway, has secretly agreed to let Scottish Ballet make the building its new home, even though this will mean the closure of Tramway 2, one of Europe’s most striking exhibition spaces and, its supporters argue, vital to Glasgow’s reputation as a centre of excellence in visual art. Why? Because, one well known artist told me, ‘It’s very clear that they [the council] don’t care about the visual arts and would rather be rid of it. What they’ve done with the Tramway visual arts programme is slowly strangle it.’ This was one of the more measured responses. Naturally, Glasgow City Council denies this.”

La Scala Appoints a Referee…Er, “Artistic Director”

La Scala has appointed a new artistic director to mediate between music director Riccardo Muti and general manager Carlo Fontana. Muti has fought against what he characterizes as Fontana’s attempts to “dumb down” the famous company. “Mr Fontana had been criticised for introducing popular fare such as West Side Story to fill the 2,600 seats of the Arcimboldi theatre, built on the industrial outskirts of Milan to host La Scala’s performances while its city-centre premises undergo a £40m refit. Tension between the two men burst into the open in July when Mr Muti snubbed the official presentation of the opera’s new season.”

Magazine Publishers Try Tivo Tactic To Undermine TV

A magazine trade group gives away Tivos to consumers as a way of making a point about advterising. “The point was to underscore the magazine publishers’ argument that an ad’s appearing on television does not mean the consumer actually sees it. By contrast, according to an ad for the contest, ’90 percent of all consumers pay full and complete attention to magazines when reading’.”

Hollywood To Studios: Tone Down Oscar Lobbying (Really?)

The past few years (just the past few?)have ubleashed an ever-growing barrage of studio lobbying for Oscars. So the Academy wants to tone it down a bit, and has developed a new set of promotion guidelines. “Academy members are urged to limit parties to true friends, and to prevent studios from paying for the food or drink at those occasions. Studios are asked to refrain from spending excessively on Oscar campaigns and to keep print and television advertisements for films free of endorsements from academy members. Even gossip and innuendo are now considered official no-nos for academy members.”

Burrows – A Hit In Europe, At Home Just A Name

Choreographer Jonathan Burrows is a big hit in Europe. So whay not at home in Britain? “Why Burrows is so little seen in Britain – only glimpsed in London or Nottingham’s adventurous NottDance festival – baffles and troubles me. He has been based in Belgium for three years, which he believes gives him a better view of the waves of innovation that constantly break in European dance and art. London, with its ‘island mentality’, is ‘resolutely isolated’. Britain, he says forcefully, is addicted to hype, which is intensely discouraging to choreographers not keen to replay old familiarities.”