“Circus using performing animals, now restricted in 43 different countries, is dying out. It has been replaced by three different sub-genres, according to Brisbane Festival artistic director David Berthold. First, is the Cirque Du Soleil approach: big, ballsy, and cinematic (essentially traditional circus without the tigers). Second, is blockbuster cabaret that contains high circus skills (think the down n’ dirty Blanc de Blanc). The third is what Berthold calls ‘art circus’.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
‘We Acknowledge Our Failures’: New York Review Of Books Issues Statement On Jian Ghomeshi Essay
“On Monday, in the magazine’s first statement discussing [now-former editor Ian Buruma’s] departure, it described the “considerable concern” over the essay among readers, adding, ‘We acknowledge the validity of this criticism.’ … While citing Mr. Ghomeshi’s free-speech rights, the magazine described ‘our failures in the presentation and editing’ of the essay” — in particular, departures from usual editing practices and the bypassing of most editorial staff.
Gary Kurtz, Co-Producer Of First Two ‘Star Wars’ Films, Dead At 78
“In addition to helping bring the Skywalker stories to the big screen, Kurtz produced American Graffiti and The Dark Crystal. His career was closely aligned with that of George Lucas, but the two parted ways after the troubled production of The Empire Strikes Back.”
Voodoo Dolls, Self-Colonoscopies, And Cleaning Sculpture With Spit: The 2018 Ig Nobel Prizes
The Prize for Medicine went to researchers who found that roller coaster rides could help dislodge kidney stones, while a Japanese gastroenterologist won a Medical Education Prize for performing a colonoscopy on himself while sitting. (He reported “Mild discomfort”.) The Chemistry Prize went to researchers who found that saliva worked better on 18th-century sculpture than alcohol-based cleaners, and researchers who found that workers did in fact relieve stress by sticking pins in voodoo dolls of their bosses won the Economics Prize.
One Of Video Game Industry’s Most Admired Creators Lays Off 90% Of Staff And Ceases Work
Telltale Games, which produces the popular interactive series The Walking Dead and Minecraft: Story Mode, more or less collapsed over the span of 48 hours. Brian Crecente reports on how it happened.
Artist Conks Marina Abramović On The Head With Portrait Of Her That He Painted
Abramović was just leaving a book-signing at the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence when Vaclav Pisvejc approached her with a framed portrait he painted of her. She thought he was bringing her a present; instead, he lifted it high, smashed it over her head, and said, “Boom!” When Abramović, unhurt (there was no glass over the frame) asked Pisvejc why he would do this, he replied, “I had to do it for my art.” (includes video)
Berlin Cancels Artist’s Recreation Of The Wall
Ilya Khrzhanovsky’s immersive installation DAU, scheduled to open on October 12 as part of the Berliner Festspiele, was to include a mini-East Berlin, complete with a checkpoint requiring papers, bounded by a replica of part of the barrier that once divided East and West Berlin. The city government says that it has refused permission for the project because there’s not enough time to build it safely, but many locals argue that they’ve had quite enough of walls, thank you.
Four More Years: National Symphony In DC Extends With Music Director Gianandrea Noseda
“One year into the conductor’s tenure as music director of the National Symphony Orchestra, Gary Ginstling, the orchestra’s executive director, announced a four-year contract extension, through 2024-2025. Also announced was “an in-house digital media initiative, meaning that the NSO will record its own performances for streaming and for physical CD and DVD.”
Museum Director Resigns, Alleging Censorship Of Mapplethorpe Exhibit In Portugal
When the show opened at the Serralves Foundation Museum of Contemporary Art in Porto last week, 20 of the 179 works intended for display were mot on view. “One day after the opening, on Friday, João Ribas, the museum’s artistic director, announced his resignation, and an open letter has circulated accusing the institution of censorship. The Mapplethorpe Foundation, in response, has pushed back against that claim.”
Will Macron’s Culture-Pass App Really Entice Young French People To The Arts?
The program, which lets users swipe left or right, Tinder-style, on listed events and comes with a €500 credit for a user’s 18th birthday, is being beta-tested in a few locales this fall and will be rolled out nationwide next year. Can it work as planned, or are the potential pitfalls too great? Two contributors, a cultural historian and an art journalist, weigh in.