“Most modern productions of Swan Lake are derived from the 1895 staging at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, which had its premiere after Tchaikovsky’s death and for which Tchaikovsky’s score was drastically reordered and rearranged by Riccardo Drigo. The original 1877 Bolshoi Swan Lake … has been more of a cipher to posterity.” Until now.
Author: Matthew Westphal
Decrepit Old Bank Building, Bought For $1, Becomes Busy New Cultural Center On Chicago’s South Side
“In the past three years, [Theaster] Gates and Rebuild Foundation have created what opens to the public today as Stony Island Arts Bank, an exhibition space, lounge, bar, music venue, archive, program center, and library – with even more functions to come.”
The Three Dimensions Of Artificial Intelligence
MIT professor Frank Levy: “The first two are AI’s depth and breadth. The third is the media picture of AI that shapes public perception. … By depth I mean the extent to which AI equals or surpasses human intelligence – the development that worries Ray Kurzweil and Stephen Hawking. … By breadth of AI, I mean the way that software with current levels of sophistication will increasingly penetrate the workplace and displace workers. … The third dimension of AI – the media portrayal – is wildly excessive and it comes at a bad political moment.”
Advertising – Television’s Original Sin
“The question of how television fits together with advertising – and whether we should resist that relationship or embrace it – has haunted the medium since its origins. … When people called TV shows garbage, which they did all the time, until recently, commercialism was at the heart of the complaint. Even great TV could never be good art, because it was tainted by definition. It was there to sell.”
Stuff Happens – And The Words We Choose To Talk About It Matter
“Psychologists and linguists have long been interested in the extent to which language affects thought, including whether and how different ways of communicating similar information can influence subsequent thinking. If Bush tells us that ‘stuff happens’ (rather than, say, that ‘people use guns to commit atrocities’), are we less inclined to seek stricter gun control? … The research to date suggests the answer is ‘yes’.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 10.06.15
Business Model You
Produced by the same team that created the tried and true Business Model Canvas, this book uses the same canvas as a space for you to map your personal business model and professional identity. … read more
AJBlog: Field Notes Published 2015-10-06
A Map of Your Mind
You might have used a mind map to sort ideas you’ve brainstormed about a project or create an outline of a specific topic you are researching, but have you ever used this tool to map your own career path? … read more
AJBlog: Field Notes Published 2015-10-06
National Academy Update (plus: details on its shaky financials)
The “update” is that there is no update. … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2015-10-06
A Tragedy Averted
General Director Kasper Holten’s statement that the new sound system at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden will never be used to amplify singers could not be more welcome. … read more
AJBlog: OperaSleuth Published 2015-10-06
You Can Help Stop Cultural Destruction: Chartres Chapter
Universally recognized as a masterpiece of cultural heritage – inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1979 – the Cathedral of Our Lady in Chartres is under attack by it would-be restorers. Now maybe you can help stop the dreadful makeover … read more
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts Published 2015-10-06
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Filmmaker Chantal Akerman, 65, Dead In Possible Suicide
Director and/or writer of more than 40 films, Akerman is most famous for her 1975 work Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, a three-hour dissection of three days in the life of an ordinary young widow in Brussels – and a film that, many observers argue, changed cinema history.
William Forsythe: I Am Not A ‘Natural Heir To George Balanchine’
“Balanchine is unique unto himself. I think the real heirs to Balanchine are [Alexei] Ratmansky and the upcoming Justin Peck actually. I think these people possess an extraordinary skill set that is far more aligned with Balanchine’s way of organizing. I was trying to work on another thing because I didn’t think Balanchine was very imitable. You can’t imitate Balanchine.”
The Bald Norwegians Who Actually Create The Songs That Top The Charts
“The biggest pop star in America today is a man named Karl Martin Sandberg. The lead singer of an obscure ’80s glam-metal band, Sandberg grew up in a remote suburb of Stockholm and is now 44. Sandberg is the George Lucas, the LeBron James, the Serena Williams of American pop. He is responsible for more hits than Phil Spector, Michael Jackson, or the Beatles.”
Night School: Does Sleep Learning Really Work?
“Almost a century ago, a fad for sleep-learning swept the industrialised world, ending only after neuroscientists determined it was physiologically impossible. Yet today, a growing body of research suggests they were wrong. Sleep-learning appears to be heading for a revival, on a far more solid scientific basis than its earlier incarnation.”