Author: Douglas McLennan

VIVA LAS VEGAS

The Guggenheim and the Hermitage Museums are coming to Las Vegas. What will their new buildings look like? “Whether or not they succeed as architecture will go a long way in answering a question that has secretly terrified the profession for more than a decade: How does architecture assert its value in a world saturated by manipulative advertising and mass-market entertainment?” – Los Angeles Times

HIGH FASHION/HIGH PAY/HIGH INFLUENCE?

The Guggenheim’s new show of Armani fashion has reviewers in a tizzy. “Reviewers stumbled out of this array of some 400 garments in a higher-than-usual state of befuddlement, and have delivered themselves of reports written in rapturous poetry or horror-struck prose or, in some cases, both. And how do we factor in the US$15-million Giorgio Armani has reportedly given to the Guggenheim for its worldwide projects? Rich people have been giving tons of money to museums, and getting back favours, since the beginning of time. That’s perhaps a horrifying idea. But has anybody really suffered?” – National Post (Canada)

BOSTON BALLET IN THE DOCKET

Boston Ballet is to respond this week in the wrongful death suit filed against the company by the mother of a dancer who died weighing 97 pounds. The suit charges that the company is responsible for her death because it exerted pressure on her to lose wieght. “No matter how this is set up claim for claim, the public sees that the case goes forward and that this girl died on their watch. That’s not good news for the Boston Ballet.” – Boston Herald

RESEARCH WEB

So what will the web mean to academics, always on the lookout for places to publish their work? “The biggest change is that publication is suddenly cheap. Academics have always had much more opportunity to write than they’ve had sponsorship for publication so books and articles have had to be concisely focused – optimised – to deliver the most information using the fewest words. The Web allows an entirely new, discursive style of presentation, where an author can take however much space she needs to be as clear as possible.” – The Idler

WHY PEOPLE USE LIBRARIES

“Statistics clearly demonstrate that many people rely on libraries for their stories, and generally, librarians know what gets checked out. Unfortunately, librarians have little knowledge of why people read what they do. As a result, they lack a deeper understanding of how libraries already serve readers, and they miss evidence that they could use to convince state legislatures and other sources of financial support that spending money on stories is important.” – Chronicle of Higher Education

A TALE OF TWO LIT AWARDS

“The shortlists for Canada’s most prominent literary awards are often described like rival high school cliques. Giller Prize nominees are the cheerleaders, football captains and student council presidents with perfect teeth who wave out from the convertible at the head of every homecoming parade. Poor Governor General’s Awards nominees, on the other hand, enjoy far less prestige, like the nerdish greasers and trenchcoat types who hang out behind the portables, the jocks coming round every once in a while to bloody their noses and smash their Gothic punk CDs.” – National Post (Canada)

CARNEGIE CHAOS

Five of Carnegie Hall’s top executives have resigned or been dismissed in the past six weeks, and tensions are running so high the board of trustees has hired an outside consultant to talk with the staff privately. Many of the disgruntled cite the autocratic management style of new executive director Franz Xaver Ohnesorg, whose soon-to-be-unveiled five-year plan may instill more ire. – New York Times