“Cardinal Sin is a bust [of a priest] with its face sawn off and replaced by blank tiles, designed as a response to the child abuse scandal in the Catholic church. In a statement, Banksy said: ‘I’m never sure who deserves to be put on a pedestal or crushed under one’.”
Tag: 12.15.11
New York City Ballet Stars Show Us When They Were Kids
“When We Were Kids is a simple idea – professional dancers watch footage of themselves performing as children – but it does tell certain truths about ballet, and about the people who make it their lives. These kids are serious.”
Everyone’s A Curator – Or Are We Just Pretenders?
“Those who value curating as an actual practice are generally loathe to see it harnessed by commercial culture, and conversely, feel sheepish about some deep-set pretensions this move has brought front and center.”
US Congress Seems Immune To Arguments Against Disastrous Internet Bill
“The House Judiciary Committee debated the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act for hours Thursday — and despite protracted criticism of the bill from the nation’s leading internet engineers and companies, lawmakers repeatedly rejected attempts to water-down the bill.”
Does Ignorance Actually Help Groups Make Better Decisions?
“Some evidence suggests that those who are ignorant or naïve are subject to manipulation by a loud, opinionated minority. If this is true, uninformed individuals are detrimental to democratic decision-making, since they can turn over power to a minority. However, a new study in this week’s Science shows that, under certain conditions, uninformed individuals actually shift the balance toward the majority, enabling a democratic process where the majority rules.”
Will The Olympics Hurt London Theatre?
“The Olympics may be some seven months away, but producers in London’s Theatreland are already trying to predict what might happen to their audiences during July and August.”
Do We Copy Too Much To Innovate?
“Social learning may have set up a situation in humans where, over the last 200,000 years or so, we have been selected to be very, very good at copying other people, rather than innovating on our own. We like to think we’re a highly inventive, innovative species. But social learning means that most of us can make use of what other people do, and not have to invest the time and energy in innovation ourselves.”
Australian Hotels Invite Guests To Steal Art
“A small hotel chain in Australia is inviting people to steal art from the walls of its hotels today. And they won’t be prosecuted.”
What Bookstores Have That Amazon Doesn’t: People
“Bookstores enjoy a rare trait: To many, the store itself is seen as at least as important to the community as the product it sells. There are several reasons for this, which is why a Slate story published earlier this week called ‘Don’t Support Your Local Bookseller’ has sparked a small online uprising of indignant bookworms.”
Maya Lin’s Newport Project Approved Despite Opposition
“Over the objections of a group of vocal opponents the city council of Newport, R.I., voted Wednesday night to approve the use of a small park for a permanent installation being designed by the artist Maya Lin to evoke the city’s past and to honor the heiress Doris Duke.”