A clip titled “Still Young at Eighty” – part of the enormous trove of historical video that AP is posting on YouTube – “shows the fresh octogenarian in 1961 at his French Riviera home surrounded by a swarm of guests … [and later] enjoying himself at a bullfight. … Fast-forward to 1973, and one can witness the funerary procession following the artist’s death at the age of 91.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
When Conceptual Artists Become Aerobics Instructors
“The class, ‘Sappho and Sweat,’ was the second offering from ‘Heavy Breathing,’ which its co-founders describe as ‘a summer series of free critical theory seminars in the form of absurd, artist-led conceptual fitness experiences.’ The idea came to Lisa Rybovich Crallé, a multimedia artist, last year. She and Sophia Wang, a dancer who recently completed her Ph.D. in literature, were collaborating on a sculptural installation when they took a long walk up a hill and discovered that discussing Aristotle’s conception of topos while huffing could be uniquely stimulating.”
AP And Movietone Upload Massive Video Archive To YouTube
“In what is the largest upload of historical news content on the video-sharing platform to date, the Associated Press and British Movietone are to host a collection of 550,000 video stories on two YouTube channels. … [That’s] one million minutes of historical video dating back to 1895 – from footage of a hover scooter floating on a cushion of air to Mussolini calling for world peace.” (includes clips of Mandela, Marilyn, MLK, Mount Vesuvius, and man-versus-tank in Tienanmen)
When John Cage Went On A Game Show
“In a typically Cageian manner, he announces he will make music out of seemingly unmusical objects. The piece, he explains, is called Water Walk ‘because it contains water and because I walk during the performance.'” When told that audience members might laugh, he said, “Of course. I consider laughter preferable to tears.” (video)
‘An Evening in the Theater (Patti LuPone Just Stole My F@#king Cell Phone)’
That’s the title of a song – written from the point of view of that unwise woman in the audience – recently posted to YouTube by composer Robert Maggio and lyricist Matthew Hardy. “I hope she doesn’t open my iTunes / My recording of Gypsy is Bernadette / And my Evita is Madonna / If she sees it, she’ll be really upset.”
Gustavo Dudamel Explains Why He’s Staying With El Sistema And Away From Politics, Despite Venezuela’s Crisis
“Now that I’m an adult, now that I’m a father, I understand the world a little better. And I understand sometimes more than people think I understand. You know when you are in a turbulent situation, you have to see beyond the turbulence instead of putting more things in the turbulence. That is Maestro Abreu’s vision.”
The Truth: Most Performing Artists Will Have To Work For Little Or No Pay – Here’s How To Deal With That (By Anonymous)
“I’m writing this, somewhat shamefacedly, under a pseudonym, because I’ve seen many examples of the threatening emails and online trolling that would immediately target me … [and] I understand that anger … But artists will work for very low pay for as long as there are more people wanting to make art than there are audiences willing to pay them enough to live on. And we have to talk about it. So how do artists make a rational decision about whether to take on low-paid or unpaid work?”
Words Fail Us: Dementia And The Arts
“It’s hardly surprising that writers and artists should increasingly tackle the subject. But can the arts ever illuminate a condition that by its very nature resists all understanding?”
Dancers In Wheelchairs Appear On Bolshoi Stage For First Time
“When the Bolshoi unveiled its take on a Russian literature classic this week, among the dancers was a Paralympian who lost his leg to frostbite while serving in the Russian army, swirling on stage in his wheelchair.”
Pole Dancing Is Becoming A Serious Art Form (If These Folks Have Anything To Say About It)
“A pole, like most props on a dance stage, doesn’t mean much on its own. It stands ready and waiting for the bounds of a choreographer’s imagination, a means to provide a vertical space and fresh vocabulary for a story spelled out in movements. In this capacity, pole dance as an abstract art form is taking shape, growing in a starkly contrasting direction from its place in strip clubs and competitions.”