“Irish folk music has reeled around the revolving door of popular approval numerous times in the past few decades. Now it’s rising again, like a rose through the concrete sprawl, tended by the immediate descendants of such frontiersmen as Christy Moore and Shane MacGowan.”
Month: June 2008
Choirs Are Cool Again
After years of decline, choirs are becoming cool, spurred by the success of the choirmaster Gareth Malone’s award-winning BBC2 series on choirs. There are now more than 25,000 registered in Britain. They make people feel good.
Death As An Art Career Strategy
“Call it the Dawn of the Dead Artist. The message from the market is as clear as it is macabre. In a quest for fresh material, blue-chip contemporary-art dealers are finding a healthy source of revenue buried six feet under.”
The Choreographer’s Unconventions
“If there is a rule book for becoming a ballet choreographer, Miro Magloire is not following it. He did not study dance as a child, and his first encounter with ballet came in his late teens, when he wandered into an adult beginners class to gain a better understanding of his role as an accompanist. Nor does his résumé include any gaudy star turns with big-name companies.”
Buildings For Dictators
“With a growing number of prominent architects designing buildings in places like China, Iran, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, where development has exploded as civic freedoms or exploitation of migrant labor have come under greater scrutiny, the issue has inched back into the spotlight. Debate abounds on architecture blogs, and human rights groups are pressing architects to be mindful of a government’s politics and labor conditions in accepting commissions.”
Internet TV = Infinite TV
“Two years ago, it seemed impossible that the internet could ever replace the television as the hub of home entertainment. Now it’s common to see groups of youths gathered round YouTube, or swapping viral clips from Big Brother rather than bothering with the whole tawdry televised affair. Cheap and easy broadband has made internet TV possible.”
Has Modern Life Killed The Semi-Colon?
All journalists can cop to this: The semicolon allows woozy clauses to lean on each other like drunks for support.
Fiat Apologizes To China Over Ad
Italian car maker Fiat has apologized to China over a television commercial featuring Hollywood actor Richard Gere and a reference to Tibet.
Canadian Artists Tire Of Donating Art For Charity
“They say giving away art to be auctioned off at charitable events costs artists money, and often they don’t even get a tax receipt.”
First Modern Computer Was Built 60 Years Ago
The first computer to be built using the same fundamental plans that underpin modern PCs has reached its 60th anniversary. The Small Scale Experimental Machine, better known as “Baby”, ran its first program at 11 am, 21 June 1948, at Manchester University in the UK.