Tag: 12.09.02

Have Western, Will Travel

The American Western is such a staple of the culture, and “so taken for granted that the western novel’s centennial has passed with hardly any fanfare, and little seems planned for the 100th birthday of the film western. But academic critics are not letting the Virginian, and those who followed in his trail, slip out of town unacclaimed.

Not In Vogue

Conde Nast, the giant magazine publisher and owner of Vogue, has blocked British artist Graham Dolphin from showing a piece based on Vogue covers in a show at the Barbican Centre in London. The company said that “the reputation and goodwill built up in this title over many years as the world’s leading fashion authority, is the most valuable asset this company owns, and we are not prepared to allow anyone to exploit it in an unauthorised way…. It is our policy to follow up on every case of unauthorised usage whether it be commercial or artistic, with the assistance of our lawyers whenever necessary.”

Elgin Marbles Explained

The Parthenon Marbles have been attacked and degraded over 1600 years. But one has only to compare the pieces left at the Acropolis with those preserved in the British Museum to appreciate that Lord Elgin’s removal of the marbles to London has helped preserve them. In this context, the claim that the removal of the Elgin Marbles are is an “object lesson of greed, xenophobia and intransigence” is “in part incomprehensible and in part deeply offensive.”

Beyond Existence (How Did It Happen?)

At the most fundamental level, scientists working on trying to explain how the world works have to admit there are things that defy understanding. “The more science learns about the origin and history of the cosmos and of life on earth and of Homo sapiens, the more it reveals how staggeringly improbable we are. Honest physicists will admit that they have no idea why there is something rather than nothing. Why does the universe look this way rather than some other way? Beyond science, then, what do we have?

Fire Season Wreaks Arts Havoc In Sydney

With temperatures near 100 degrees and bush fires raging all around Sydney, Australia, arts organizations around the region are finding themselves having to cancel or delay performances due to interference from the elements. Special effects went “berserk” at a performance of Swan Lake due to flickering power, and no one seems to be able to guarantee that any performance will go off as scheduled.

Whose Learning Will Prevail?

The world of learning has always felt the tension between theoretician and practitioner. So here’s something to ponder: “In the next 50 years, the entirety of our inherited archive of cultural works will have to be re-edited within a network of digital storage, access, and dissemination. This system, which is already under development, is transnational and transcultural. Let’s say that prophecy is true. Now ask yourself these questions: Who will be carrying out this work? Who will do it? Who should do it?”

Mark Morris, Classic

“Mark Morris, the uppity squirt who got himself banned from the American Dance Festival eighteen years ago for crying ‘No more rape!’ during a piece created by Twyla Tharp, is now 46 years old. He performs in fewer dances these days; he’s even cut his trademark curls. His company, now in its twenty-second year, is filled with dancers young enough to be his children rather than the friends with whom he came of age.”

Berlin’s Battling Opera Houses

Berlin’s three opera houses are scrapping with one another to survive. “Does a city really need three opera houses? Probably not, but Berlin has long taken pride in its embarrassment of operatic riches. If one house closes, the city will end up with the same eminently sensible—and thus eminently predictable—arrangement that applies in New York, Paris, and London. There will be the “big” house, like the Met or Covent Garden, presenting de-luxe productions with international stars; and there will be the “alternative” house, like New York City Opera or English National Opera, staking out slightly more adventurous repertory. With three companies, you never quite know what you’re going to get.”