Asking where this is all going to end is a very effective means of whipping up panic. But slippery slope arguments are themselves slippery and need to be treated with caution. They force us to take one of two extreme, polarized positions and do not allow anything more nuanced. – Times Literary Supplement
Author: Douglas McLennan
Between Crossed Circuits Of The Brain And Creativity
It is a neurological event where excitation of one of the five senses arouses a simultaneous reaction in another sense or senses (the Greek roots for “synesthesia,” also spelled “synaesthesia,” translate as “joined perception”). Some 4 percent of the population experiences this kind of cross-sensory linking, and studies have shown it’s more prevalent in creative people. – Nautilus
Drive-in Performing Arts Gigs Are Catching On In The UK
“We have an extraordinary opportunity to still mount a show in a way that we fully expected to, not only without compromise, but actually potentially even with enhancements. We’re able to do things from a compliance point of view that feel like they are quite Big Brother.” – The Guardian
Why Satie Might Be The Perfect Composer For Now
It might seem an extraordinary thing that a late 19th/early 20th century French composer — and one whose music has had a history of having been dismissed for its seeming simplicity, seeming naiveté and seeming single-mindedness — resonates so effectively in our confused, upside-down world. But, then, in his strange music, his irreverent prose, his inexplicable mannerisms, his radical attitudes and his incomprehensible inconsistencies, Satie may just be what we need. – Los Angeles Times
Edinburgh Fringe, On Brink Of Insolvency, Gets A Rescue
Culture secretary Fiona Hyslop has announced a £1 million interest free loan and £149,000 in funding from a “resilience” fund for the Fringe Society, which runs the official website, box office and programme for the event “to enable its return next year.” – The Scotsman
Library Use Is Dramatically Up Since The Lockdown
Weekly library e-book lending across the country has increased by nearly 50 percent since March 9, according to data from OverDrive, a service used by many libraries to let patrons check out media for e-readers, smartphones and computers. Audiobook check-outs are also up 14% — not quite as large a shift, likely because fewer people are in their cars commuting to work. – NPR
Measuring The Pandemic Effects On Pittsburgh Arts
Jill Robinson, CEO of TRG Arts, said that in North America there is an active “engine of income” from new subscription purchases and philanthropy that has limited some of the financial impact of COVID-19. – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Turns Out There Are Benefits To Teaching Harp Online
“With most of the room cut out, there are fewer distractions. When three dimensions collapse into two, there’s a weird intimacy. You can get up close, like ballroom dance partners. You can demonstrate without replacing students in the chair. And you can take copious notes while they play, marking the music like an over-caffeinated octopus. They can’t see that.” – WBUR
How Dallas Opera Became A Facebook Star
“Basically,” he says, “we needed to create something like ESPN or The Food Network.” You mean, I ask, you talk to chefs about the politics of food, but you don’t do the cooking? “Exactly, that was the premise.” – Art and Seek (KERA)
Cash-Strapped British Air To Sell Off Its Art Collection
The airline is known for its collection of at least 1,500 pieces that includes esteemed works by artists such as Richard Deacon, Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, Gary Hume, Callum Innes, Anish Kapoor, Chris Ofili, and Fiona Rae. – Artnet