“Although not a great play, [The Fifth Column] is a fascinating one for what it tells us about Hemingway himself.” (Which ain’t pretty.)
Author: Matthew Westphal
‘You Don’t Know Who I Am, But You’ve Been Affected By Things I Did’ – Meet The Great Adventurer Of New York’s Avant-Garde
Tony Conrad: “It appeared as if Schoenberg had destroyed music. Then it appeared as if Cage had destroyed Schoenberg. Our project was to destroy Cage. … Yeah! Of course we were high on drugs! But honestly, drug experiences are very private, and cultural experiences are very social. I think the social is better.”
What If Klemperer Had Become The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Music Director?
“He stood before the Philadelphia Orchestra with the face of an anguished god, saying little with his partially paralyzed mouth, much through his hands, and more through his eyes – behind thick, sometimes askew glasses. In 1962, Otto Klemperer, one of the great conductors of the 20th century, returned to the Philadelphia Orchestra after an absence of more than 25 years, having suffered a brain tumor, a stroke, severe bipolar disorder, and third-degree burns from setting himself on fire by smoking in bed.”
Should Governments Fund Cinemas The Way They Do Theatres And Concert Venues?
“In the world of contemporary art, policymakers use our taxes to fund galleries and museums. In the world of theatre, we build new spaces and new stages. In the world of music, we fund broadcasters … So why in the film world do we predominantly fund films but not the spaces to screen them in? Why isn’t Australia’s film policy angled more towards distribution, access and experience?”
Did ‘American Psycho’ Predict The Future?
“Its detractors loathed it, and even its fans would agree that its anti-hero, Patrick Bateman, is one of the most unsavoury creations in literary history. So what does it say about us that we’re now willing to whistle along to his depravity? Have we inched closer to Bateman’s way of thinking over the past 25 years? Or has the story told in Ellis’s novel been diluted with each subsequent retelling? The answer is somewhere in between.”
Where Citizen Budgeting Meets Community Arts Groups
“In the North Shores Collinwood area of Cleveland, ‘Ohio’s first experiment with participatory budgeting’ has just resulted in four arts-based community development projects being chosen – by local residents – to share in $120,000 in funding from ArtPlace America.”
You’ve Seen Pseudoscience, Now Have A Look At Pseudolaw
“These days, we are distressingly familiar with alternative, conspiracy-theory versions of science and medicine. Less well-known is the legal version of this phenomenon, not as visible as creationism or anti-vaccine activism but in many ways as destructive.”
Tamara Rojo Dances Frida Kahlo
Choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and theatre director Nancy Meckler talk about creating She Said, a piece about Kahlo that Tamara Rojo commissioned for English National Ballet. (Rojo had not, at first, expected to take the title role.)
What, Exactly, *Is* A Robot? (It’s Not That Simple A Question)
“The truth is, we’re surrounded by robotics all the time. Your washing machine is a robot. Your dishwasher is a robot. You don’t need to have a very broad definition to draw that conclusion … Robotics will continue to be ubiquitous and fairly invisible. Systems will just be smarter and people will accept that. It’s occurring around us all the time now.”
Are These The Ten Most Beautiful Ceilings On Earth?
“Some of the world’s most glorious sights can only be experienced if you crane your neck. Jonathan Glancey looks up.” (And the Sistine Chapel didn’t even make the cut.)