A Q&A with Isak Gerson, spiritual leader of the Church of Kopimism, a faith dedicated to electronic file-sharing which has been formally recognised as a religion by the Swedish government.
Author: Matthew Westphal
Wendy Whelan On Christopher Wheeldon
“One day I found [young] Chris sitting in the wings after a stage rehearsal … He told me that he was interested in choreography and that he hoped to get the chance to make some work of his own one day. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I didn’t put much stock in his dream, though I found it endearing that he wanted to grow up to be a choreographer one day.”
How Can We Cultivate Originality?
“Of course being too original is a common problem only for geniuses … For the rest of us, the challenge is reversed: how can we be sufficiently novel? One approach is to combine many old thoughts in a new melting pot. With patience, it’s then possible to be reasonably systematic about allowing new ideas to form.”
In Taiwan, The Garbage Trucks Play Classical Music
“On the tightly packed East Asian island nation, garbage trucks, like ice cream vans, are equipped with speakers that play music – popular tunes include Beethoven’s ‘Für Elise’ and Tekla Badarzewska-Baranowska’s ‘A Maiden’s Prayer’ – alerting citizens that trash time est arrivé.”
Picasso, Mondrian Stolen From National Gallery Of Greece
“Thieves have snatched a trio of valuable artworks from Greece’s National Art Gallery in Athens, staging a devious pre-dawn heist and making off with paintings by Pablo Picasso and Piet Mondrian.”
Directors Guild Nominations Muddy Oscar Waters Yet Further
“In a prize season that has already seen plenty of slights, the Directors Guild of America on Monday snubbed Steven Spielberg, with his War Horse,and Tate Taylor, with The Help.”
Anne Tyng, 91, Pioneering Female Architect And Partner Of Louis Kahn
“During a 15-year relationship that was both professional and romantic, she helped [Kahn] produce his pathbreaking early buildings, including the Trenton Bathhouse and the Yale Art Gallery. Yet until recently, she received little credit for those iconic projects.”
Ruckus In Rome Over Restoration Of Colosseum
“The current $33 million (25 million euro) restoration plans … are being sponsored by Diego della Valle, of luxury Italian brand Tod’s, in exchange for advertising rights.” The Restorers Association of Italy says the project “run[s] the risk of causing irreparable damage to the monument” by using general contractors rather than specialists.
Using Philosophy To Battle Addiction
“Philosophy has a long, stable relationship with reason and more specifically, the relationship between reason, emotions and the will. Addiction seems to involve a total abdication of reason, a messy tangle of emotions and a lack of will.”
West Australian Ballet’s Director Leaving For Europe
“WA Ballet Artistic Director Ivan Cavallari is calling it quits at the end of 2012 after overseeing five highly successful seasons which have seen Australia’s oldest ballet company reach unprecedented artistic heights. In 2013 he will take up the position of Artistic Director with Ballet du Rhin in Alcase, France.”