Christo, who with his wife Jeanne-Claude created massive art projects requiring dozens of years to pull off, including wrapping the Reichstag and creating The Gates in Central Park, has died. In 1972, he explained, “For me esthetics is everything involved in the process — the workers, the politics, the negotiations, the construction difficulty, the dealings with hundreds of people. … The whole process becomes an esthetic — that’s what I’m interested in, discovering the process. I put myself in dialogue with other people.” – The New York Times
Month: May 2020
The Chicken Church Of Java
The power of one man’s divine vision … and the internet. – The Guardian (UK)
The Creative Process Of Documentary Theatre [AUDIO]
Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen, whose The Exonerated and Coal Country are powerful documentary theatre, talk about how it all works – and why it works. – Slate
And Now For The Awards For Best Books In Translation
The awards, announced in a socially distant livestream, contains “A final work that continues on like a river” and poems that “bloom with the beauty the world has to offer as well as those who have created these human-made gifts through the ages.” – The Millions
Dealing With A Streaming Film Release During The Pandemic Isn’t Ideal For Cast Or Crew
When directors, cast, and crew make decisions about a movie like High Note, they’re aimed at the big screen. So this weekend’s on-demand streaming release is a bit of a technical let-down, even if the content offers some lighter fare than reality right now. Director Nisha Ganatra:”The movie was shot anamorphic and widescreen, so it’s really a big-screen experience. All of the sound engineers made the concert scenes to feel like you’re right there. … I definitely need people to turn up the sound system and not just watch it on the iPad!” – Los Angeles Times
Emma Amos, Acclaimed Figurative Painter And Guerrilla Girl Member, 83
Amos’s “careerlong belief in art as a form of ethical resistance carries new weight when the promises of the civil rights era seem again under threat.” – The New York Times
Dealing With Reader Reviews, Even When They’re By (Literal) Dogs
Note to authors: Don’t go on GoodReads. Just don’t. But when a dog-themed book group reads your book on Instagram, well, things might be different. – The Guardian (UK)
Video Games Can Teach Reluctant Learners A Lot More Than You Might Think
Hey, parents, when your kids are using video games to deal with the pandemic, you may think they’re not doing schoolwork. True, but games like Assassin’s Creed, Minecraft, and Roblox have a lot to teach. – NPR
Unions Have A Say In Hollywood’s Potential Return To Work
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced more than a week ago that counties could set reopening plans for the entertainment industry. That hasn’t happened because Hollywood’s various unions are pretty clear that the industry won’t get to shortchange safety. But “the high-wire act for the unions is that while they have a great deal of power, they also have members who’ve been idle for months and are itching to get back to work.” – Los Angeles Times
Mark Morris And The Art Of Zoom Choreography
Morris on creating during the pandemic: “The idea that our lives are on hold irks him, he said. Or ‘the idea that you’re waiting to come back to your life, and I’m sorry everybody: This is your life.'” – The New York Times