It’s a niche market, to be sure, and one that major auction houses and dealers stay far away from. But there’s enough demand to make it worthwhile for a few to sell Hitler’s handiwork — or to forge it. And, according to one auctioneer, that demand doesn’t come from right-wing extremists. – The Art Newspaper
Author: Matthew Westphal
Propwatch: the cigarettes and hoof pick in ‘Equus’
Ned Bennett’s galvanic production for English Touring Theatre and Stratford East sets Peter Shaffer’s play at the time of the 1973 premiere, and the production’s props assemble like a toolkit of the 1970s and its discontents. So what’s in the 1970s toolkit? – David Jays
L.A.’s Chicanx Lowrider Culture Caught On In Japan. Is That Cultural Appropriation?
New York Times reporter Walter Thompson-Hernández, a native of Southeast L.A.: “I heard a rumor that lowrider culture — a community with an affinity for cars, outfit with intricate designs, multicolored lights and heavily tinted windows that can be traced in Southern California to as far back as the 1940s — had traveled to Japan. … I knew I had to see it for myself, so I packed my bags for Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo.” (video) – The New York Times
Setting ‘Taming Of The Shrew’ In A Matriarchal Society
Now there‘s a way to deal with the play’s violence-against-women problem, and two current productions are trying it: one at the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff and the other at the RSC in Stratford. Reporter Natasha Tripney talks with the directors and actors involved. – The Guardian
Using Theatre To Bring Together (If Not Reconcile) Falklands War Vets From Both Sides
“Both the play Minefield and the documentary Theater of War are part of the same project in which [director Lola] Arias, together with veterans of the Malvinas/Falklands War of 1982, reconstruct memories in a tense and emotional production, in which the former British and Argentine soldiers are themselves the stars — former enemies, side by side.” – Hyperallergic
Comedian Brody Stevens Dead Of Suicide At 48
“His stand-up style was a seemingly contradictory mix of confrontation and self-deprecation. He would often mock the fact that he was not a household name and had managed to land only small parts in television shows and movies [such as the Hangover series]. … He was widely admired by other comedians for his willingness to venture into unsafe territory.” – The New York Times
Brick Flicks: How Lego Created A Blockbuster Movie Franchise
Some of the company’s cinematic success is because, with the films as with the toys, “every new product [is] compatible with every previous one; you could just keep adding more and more to your collection.” And some of it is that the movies incorporate Lego versions of characters from everywhere – Marvel comics, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, even The Simpsons. And other studios are thrilled to let them do it. – 1843 Magazine
BBC And ITV Join Forces To Launch Rival Service To Netflix
“BritBox will mainly feature archive BBC and ITV shows, alongside new British commissions made especially for the service. There were no details on pricing; the announcement said it would be ‘competitive’. … Other broadcasters are expected to join the service later.” – The Guardian
Digital Sign-Language-To-English Translation – Can It Work?
There have been a few previous devices developed using gloves with motion sensors, and a team at MSU has invented a new one using an internal camera and deep-learning AI software. But many in the Deaf community, including Prof. Christian Vogler of Gallaudet, are skeptical, pointing out the complex difficulties of translating ASL to English. – Smithsonian Magazine
When A Linguist Discovers A Sign Language Developed In Isolation, Will She Kill It Just By Studying It?
“Given the high stakes, and the potential to exert unwanted influence on these fragile languages, researchers have been arguing for years about how to handle them.” Some follow a “prime directive,” trying not to have any effect whatsoever; others argue that keeping deaf villagers isolated from a national sign language smothers their prospects, keeoping them poor and isolated. It turns out, Michael Erard reports, that these languages aren’t really so fragile. – Digg