“Whereas before we might have tried to recall something on our own, now we don’t bother. As more information becomes available via smartphones and other devices, we become progressively more reliant on it in our daily lives.”
Author: Douglas McLennan
Study: Reading Literature Can Bridge Political Divide
The linguist Roman Jakobson once contrasted political conventions with literary ones: the problem with political conventions, he said, is that they encourage people to “mindlessly agree” with slogans, which in turn, create unnecessary antagonism between different groups of people. Literary conventions, on the other hand, where individuals get together to read and talk about books, were different.”
We Celebrate Creativity (But We’re Also Suspicious Of And Hostile To It)
“The paradox of this bias against creativity lies in the fact that creativity — along with its close cousin innovation — is frequently celebrated in business as a most desired organizational trait. Reports of management excellence from McKinsey to KPMG state that creativity among the workforce is a basic requirement for long-term business success. Why then does the organizational immune system kick into high gear whenever exposed to the very thing it needs to survive?”
Restoration Unlocks Secrets Of The Magnificent Ghent Altarpiece
“A study in 2010 determined that the altarpiece needed conservation – to remove varnish and to adjust the colours of older retouches. A €1.3m grant followed and now – with the restoration one-third complete – the discoveries are astonishing, casting light on a touching story of fraternal love and admiration.”
Cameron Mackintosh: Weakened Pound Sterling Is Boosting West End Theatre Ticket Sales
He highlighted how surprised he was to see so many people in the West End on a Monday night, and added: “It’s the best September I can remember across my theatres.”
Report: Streaming Theatre Performances Don’t Threaten Live Audience Attendance
“Of 243 companies surveyed, 38% said the advent of live-to-digital has had a positive impact, compared with only 13% who said it had had a negative impact. In fact, an audience preference for live shows over the recorded alternative was found to be the biggest barrier to attendance of theatre broadcasts at cinemas. Just over half of those surveyed said their preference for live theatre put them off event cinema.”
Hundreds Of Languages Are Dying (But Maybe That’s Not Always A Bad Thing?)
“Linguists instinctively decry the loss of language much as conservationist biologists once mourned the loss of every single species. But conservation is in the midst of a paradigm shift, moving towards acceptance that not all species can be saved, that invasive species are not always bad and that human-engineered ecosystems are not necessarily inferior to natural ones.”
The Complicated And Colorful “Father Of Dance” In Canada
“So how did ballet come to Canada? Like so much else, it arrived in waves, beginning with ambitious 17th-century colonists who brought European culture to the shores of North America in the form of dance lessons for indulged children. Only in the early 20th century did professional ballet training begin; pioneers of Canadian ballet such as Ottawa’s Gwendolen Osborne brought their tradition and training to students who could manage almost perfect 180-degree turnout. The country’s first major choreographers then looted indigenous cultures in search of something saleable.”
Everyone Has Dumped On Brutalist Architecture. So Now It’s Popular Again
“Despite two generations of abuse (and perhaps a little because of it), an enthusiasm for Brutalist buildings beyond the febrile, narrow precincts of architecture criticism has begun to take hold. Preservationists clamor for their survival, historians laud their ethical origins and an independent public has found beauty in their rawness.”
Indie Films Are Increasingly Video-On-Demand. That’s A Problem When We Don’t Know How Many People See Them
“Because neither indie distributors nor streaming services release audience numbers for VOD movies, our hands are tied: We have no idea what constitutes a hit or a flop on VOD — how many thousands, or maybe it’s tens of thousands, or maybe it’s hundreds of thousands — of people will watch a movie during its VOD run.”