Democratic Thought In China Isn’t A Western Import – It Arose From The Cultural Revolution, Argues (Now-Exiled) Editor

Hu Ping, author of the now-seminal 1979 essay “On Freedom of Speech,” and once an enthusiastic young Maoist: “The Cultural Revolution gave rise to a widespread and deep-seated horror that led a few people” – Chinese who’d never read John Locke, John Stuart Mill, or the American Founding Fathers – “to formulate an explicit concept of freedom and gave the majority the desire and basis to accept this concept.”

It’s Canada’s Richest Prize, And This Outside-The-Mainstream Director Just Won It

The Siminovitch, the richest prize in Canadian theatre, is awarded on a three-year cycle to directors, playwrights and designers – and Nadia Ross’s win in a year dedicated to direction is certainly an encouraging one for Canadian theatre artists whose practice doesn’t neatly fall into those categories, or, indeed, the mainstream definition of “theatre.”

No Instruments? These People In Paraguay Formed An Orchestra Using Objects From A Landfill

Recycled Orchestra and the focus of the documentary Landfill Harmonic. Founded by environmental consultant and guitarist Favio Chávez, the orchestra plays on instruments made from trash. Over the course of 10 years, the orchestra has grown from just a few musicians to over 35. The students have even performed with heavy metal band Megadeth and with Metallica.

Who Won BAFTA’s Britannia Awards?

“Ewan McGregor, who received the Britannia for his philanthropy, said, ‘This really should go to the volunteers of Unicef, not me.’ He started working with Unicef after seeing the work the organization did during a motorcycle trip across Asia. There is a great need with so many displaced in the Syrian civil war, he said, and urged attendees to support a charity.”

Why Is Everyone (Including The UK And President Obama) Making Fun Of Art History While Venerating Art And Artists?

“Where this will lead the art world, art history, the art market and — most important of all — art itself, is anyone’s guess. The formal study of the history of art, with its generally impecunious career prospects, may well remain a niche subject. But the digitalization of art means a lot more people across the world are looking at the stuff.”

Dance Lessons For Writers

Zadie Smith: “What can an art of words take from the art that needs none? Yet I often think I’ve learned as much from watching dancers as I have from reading. Dance lessons for writers: lessons of position, attitude, rhythm and style, some of them obvious, some indirect.”