“Kaitlyn Hova is many things: a violinist, a web developer, a designer, a composer and a neuroscientist. And it was the blurring of these interests that bore a clear and clever idea. … Hova and her husband, who cofounded Hova Labs, have developed the Hovalin, an open source, 3-D printable acoustic violin.” Here is an excerpt from her Q&A and demonstration at last year’s Long Conversation at the Smithsonian. (video)
Tag: 11.07.18
40,000-Year-Old Painting Of Animal, World’s Oldest, Found In Borneo
“Faded and fractured, the reddish-orange image depicts a plump but slender-legged animal, probably a species of wild cattle that still lives on the island, or simply dinner in the eyes of the artist, if one streak of ochre that resembles a spear protruding from its flank is any guide. The animal is one of a trio of large creatures that adorn a wall in the Lubang Jeriji Saléh cave in the East Kalimantan province of Indonesian Borneo.”
Turns Out We Have A Real Velázquez, Declares Museum Of Fine Arts, Houston
The reattribution of Kitchen Maid (ca. 1620) “is the result of new conservation and research by the institution’s chief paintings conservator, Zahira Bomford … When she removed layers of wax, resin and repainting that marred the painting and completed various technical studies, she and others at the museum became convinced that her hunch was true.”
Calgary’s New Library Aims To Bridge Gap (Literally) Between Wealthy Downtown And The (Literal) Wrong Side Of The Tracks
The CDN Central Library, designed by the starchitectural firm Snøhetta, physically straddles the light rail line that divides the city’s business and cultural districts from the much-poorer East Village. The city authorities and designers deliberately created a pleasing space for residents of all income levels to use for free, not to mention providing the access to computers and the internet that middle-class people take for granted.
As Brazil Turns Right, Artists Worry, And Some Flee
It’s not just the election of Jair Bolsonaro (though that’s the tipping point); it’s the growing stridency of his conservative, and especially Evangelical, base, who (egged on by rumors and distortions on social media) have begun denouncing the work of some experimental artists and cultural figures as blasphemy or pedophilia. Some of those artists, facing death threats and not trusting the new government to protect them, are leaving the country.
‘I Never Stole Or Embezzled Anything’: First Day Of Director Kirill Serebrennikov’s Trial In Moscow
“The artistic director of the Gogol Centre theatre said he did not understand the meaning of the prosecution’s indictment, which he compared to a ‘broken printer’ that repeats ‘absurd’ claims over and over. … Last week, Serebrennikov was nominated in three different categories for Russia’s prestigious Golden Mask theatre award,” and his staging of Mozart’s Così fan tutte, which he directed remotely while under house arrest, opened in Zurich.
Study: Your Taste In Art Is A Predictor Of Whether You Voted For Brexit
“Preference for realistic art is a robust predictor of support for Brexit,” writes a research team led by Noah Carl of Nuffield College, Oxford. “The effect was comparable to the difference in support between those with a degree and those with no education.”
Tribal Disintegration
Sasha Waltz & Guests brings her Kreatur from Berlin to BAM.
Now’s the time
The Wall Street Journal pays me to go see plays each week and write about them, which is my idea of a terrific way to earn a living. I have yet another reason for loving my job, though, one that might just be of even greater importance, which is that it forces me to engage each week with a brand-new set of experiences.
Cuban Ballet Dancers Who Defected Make Emotional Return To Island
“[Five] renowned defectors from the Cuban National Ballet took the stage at the 26th Havana International Ballet Festival as part of a wide-ranging and profound reconciliation between Cuba and its millions of expatriates and exiles around the world. … Asked about his feelings upon performing once again in Cuba, [one of the returnees] began to cry.”