How many of us today are able to free ourselves from the page and head out the door when we rise from our desks? Even abiding by the dictates of nature, breathing deeply out in the open air as we set our legs into motion, it’s likely we need to accomplish the undertaking as quickly and efficiently as possible. But in so doing, perhaps we still miss the essence of the activity itself. We forego the art of walking. – Aeon
Author: Douglas McLennan
Are We Making Our Decisions Or Are We Physically Reacting?
Is it possible that our experience of decision-making – the impression we have of making choices, indeed of having choices to make, sometimes hard ones – is entirely illusory? Is it possible that a chain of physical events in our bodies and brains must cause us to act in the way we do, whatever our experience of the process might be? – Aeon
Miami’s Ultra Festival Goes Online. It Doesn’t Work So Well
Ultra’s attempt at virtuality illustrated what happens when the vehicle of that nihilism, the global economy, grinds to a halt. However grim it might have seemed before, the end result is weirder still. “This,” a user called historicalfigure9 wrote on the subreddit, “is depressing.” – The Daily Beast
The Art Of Culturally Relevant Crosswords
Crossword editors are strange arbiters of cultural relevance. Read tweets by Awkwafina or Olivia Wilde on learning that they’ve been immortalized in the black-and-white grid—it’s the bookish version of handprints on a slab outside Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. But any pub-trivia attendee—exposed to categories on craft beer or things that smell like sourdough or whatever the emcee is into—will tell you that personnel is policy. – The Atlantic
Do You Suffer From Imposter Syndrome?
This kind of reflexive self-doubt is not so much a ‘syndrome’ as it is a widespread state of psychological distortion, with roughly 70 per cent of people experiencing it at some point in their lives. – Aeon
Movie Box Office Falls 97 Percent As Theatres Shut
Box office revenue limped to a historic low of $300,000 or less on Wednesday as the vast majority of cinemas in North America closed their doors indefinitely due to the coronavirus crisis. That compares to $10.7 million in revenue on the same Wednesday a year ago, resulting in a year-over-year decline of 97 percent. – The Hollywood Reporter
Philanthropies Are Lining Up To Try To Help The Arts
Though the organizers of the fund wanted to start with New York because of the city’s importance as a cultural center, they know the need spans the country, extending to individuals as well as nonprofit groups. Elizabeth Alexander, president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, another fund contributor, expects Mellon to partner with other advocacy organizations to develop additional granting programs soon. – Washington Post
“Sweet Land” Opera Was A Hit. Then It Had To Close For The Virus. So One Performance For Just The Cameras
“I think of it a little bit like if a house was burning, and you had the opportunity to run in and save a piece of humanity,” says Industry founder Yuval Sharon. “That’s what we’re doing.” – Los Angeles Times
American Alliance Of Museums Asks Congress For $4 Billion In Aid
The letter notes that museums annually contribute $50 billion to the US economy, generate $12 billion in local, state, and federal tax, along with supporting 726,000 jobs, expressing worry that great losses in the cultural sector will displace thousands of workers and act as a blow to the greater economy. – Hyperallergic
Thieves Steal Bronze Gates To Seattle Arboretum In The Middle Of The Night
They were made by sculptor George Tsutakawa. The theft was discovered Thursday morning when gardeners arrived for work and discovered the gates missing and bolt cutters on the ground, said Ray Larson, curator of living collections at the arboretum. Thieves also stole downspouts from the visitor’s center. Known as the Memorial Gates, the artwork was commissioned in 1971 by the University of Washington and the Arboretum Foundation as a memorial to all who have loved and cared for the arboretum. Considered a community treasure, the gates are an irreplaceable signature of the park. – Seattle Times