“An original work worth thousands of pounds by Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin or Sir Peter Blake could be yours for as little as £40. The catch, however, is that the artist’s identity will not be revealed until after the work has been bought.”
Tag: 10.29.07
BBC Wants To Rule The World
“The BBC’s commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, is to launch a further 30 channels internationally, as well as a high-definition outlet and an on-demand service in the United States, as part of the next stage of its aggressive expansion plan… The launches come as Worldwide, which has been given the task of doubling the profits it pumps back into the BBC to at least £222m within five years, is pushing for rapid growth across its businesses.”
Unknown Ramirez Trove Discovered In California
MartÃn RamÃrez, a Mexican immigrant who lived in a California mental hospital for more than 30 years, was also one of the more visionary “outsider” artists of the last century. So when “a cache of some 140 of [Ramirez’s] drawings, all from the last three years of RamÃrez’s life, many of them dated and most in great shape,” was discovered in a California garage recently, curators at the American Folk Art Museum were on the next plane.
Who Cares What The Author Says?
Harry Potter high priestess JK Rowling may say that the wizard Dumbledore is gay, but should her opinion make a difference to her readers? “The question is distracting, which is why it never really emerges in the books themselves. Ms. Rowling may think of Dumbledore as gay, but there is no reason why anyone else should.”
Vinyl Is Back, And The CD Had Better Watch Out
“As counterintuitive as it may seem in this age of iPods and digital downloads, vinyl — the favorite physical format of indie music collectors and audiophiles — is poised to re-enter the mainstream, or at least become a major tributary… Why do so many people still love vinyl, even though its bulky, analog nature is anathema to everything music is supposed to be these days?”
The Band Plays On (But Quietly) In Baghdad
The Iraqi National Symphony, celebrated in the days after the US-led invasion as a hallmark of Iraqi culture, and later as a symbol of bravery in the face of the insurgency, is continuing to play. But their concerts are like nothing any other professional orchestra could possibly conceive of. “Before the U.S.-led invasion, the INSO would advertise concerts in the media, especially on television. Now this happens by word of mouth, with organizers phoning a list of supporters or putting up posters in music colleges… No time is given for the event because both the musicians and the guests have to navigate police and army checkpoints and blocked roads.”
Can You Compose Better Than A Fifth Grader?
Composing music is no easy business, and yet, a professional orchestra in Florida is giving fifth graders a crack at it. Composer Gregory Smith is working with four schools’ worth of students to develop a jointly composed piece that will be played by the Brevard Symphony next February.