The Romantic poet William Wordsworth wrote of ‘the sensation of sublimity’ as ‘a comprehensive awe’. Psychologists refer to the sublime as an awe-like aesthetic emotion. Without the positive affect, there is no experience of the sublime. But even if the sublime has to be felt, it is still a response to something about the object, such as its rare vastness or daunting power. It’s a bit like how colour is both response-dependent and objective at the same time. – Psyche
Author: Douglas McLennan
A Third Of All UK Arts Freelancers Say They May Leave The Field
A quarter of freelance theatre workers have been unable to access emergency income of any kind and a third are considering leaving the industry, according to a survey of more than 8,000 participants. – The Stage
Offer To Buy Old Vic Theatre Rejected
Asked about reports that ATG had attempted to acquire the theatre, a statement sent to The Stage from the Old Vic said ATG – which owns 32 venues in the UK – “did approach the Old Vic some weeks ago, but this offer was declined immediately and definitively”. – The Stage
A Comparison Of What Governments Around The World Are Doing To Help Rescue Culture
Stimulus packages for the arts and culture range from the £1.57bn package announced by the UK this week to smaller packages in countries such as Zimbabwe, Estonia and Costa Rica. – The Guardian
How Cancel Culture Is Driven By Capitalism
It is strange that “cancel culture” has become a project of the left, which spent the 20th century fighting against capricious firings of “troublesome” employees. A lack of due process does not become a moral good just because you sometimes agree with its targets. We all, I hope, want to see sexism, racism, and other forms of discrimination decrease. But we should be aware of the economic incentives here, particularly given the speed of social media, which can send a video viral, and see onlookers demand a response, before the basic facts have been established. – The Atlantic
On Opera Over The Phone, Just For Me
It wasn’t quite like being in a recital hall, but it did give me a chance to enter another romantic world in real time with a real person on the other end of the phone line. – NPR
Hagia Sophia As Political Hostage
Skeptics see Erdoğan’s decree as a last-ditch call to his nationalist base for support as his political star wanes among Turkey’s youth. Even before his disastrous Covid-19 response threatened to destroy the Turkish economy (queasy about offending his religious supporters, Erdoğan failed, for example, to impose quarantines on pilgrims returning from Mecca), he was facing growing opposition over his crackdown on civil society and the judiciary and his disastrous handling of Turkey’s foreign affairs. – The New Republic
Donald Trump Jr. Declares War On Publishers
Publishers have long relied on conservative imprints to churn out money-making bestsellers, but in the Trump era, fissures have emerged between those imprints, right-wing stars, and conglomerate publishers. Now Trump Jr. is bringing the culture wars to the book business, and it may ultimately have profound implications for the industry. – The New Republic
A Modern Spire For A Restored Notre Dame? Mais Non!
The idea was met with skepticism from numerous architects, conservationists, and academics, and polls showed that the majority of Parisians favored restoring Viollet-le-Duc’s design. (The original spire, built between 1220 and 1230, fell into disrepair and was dismantled in the late 1700s.) – Artnet
Some Ideas To Reconfigure Theatres In The COVID Age
“The West End is full of wonderful historic theatres, but they’re now completely outmoded. People are four inches taller than when they were built, so the seats are too small, the sight lines are terrible and a huge number of seats are restricted by columns. The air is bad and the loos and bars are always too small to cope. With the government’s funding announcement, now is the time to make them fit for purpose.” – The Guardian