“A plan by the British Museum to build a £130 million exhibition centre in its northwest corner has provoked anger from heritage groups that claim it will destroy some of the 19th-century building’s most beautiful period details and vistas.”
Author: sbergman
Whither The Fringe?
Between the advertainment theatre and the vicious infighting amongst participants, the Edinburgh Fringe seems to be losing some of its original spirit. “Should we worry? Will a multi-national’s logo on an awning – which already exist on venues such as, well, the Smirnoff Underbelly – undermine the spirit of the Fringe? Or will it pay that spirit’s way in the big bad world?”
Unintended Consequences
Britain’s class obsession has been on the wane for years now, as the UK embraces a less elitist reality in which one’s style, profession, and accent are not a mark of status. But by removing such class distinctions, are we left with only wealth and naked greed as a measure of success?
London Arts On £50 A Week
Times are tough, and lots of folks are pinching pennies. But culture doesn’t have to be expensive – a British journalist is attempting an entire week’s worth of arts-going on the cheap. His goal: spend no more than £50, “including food, drink and transport within central London – which also happens to be one of the most expensive cities in the world.”
Hirst’s Latest Pickled Beasts To Hit The Block
“A small menagerie of new Damien Hirst pickled animals took a bow yesterday, including a new shark, a zebra, a calf with solid gold horns and hoofs valued at up to £12m, and even a unicorn – a white foal fitted with a resin horn… All have been churned out by his small army of assistants this year for an auction at Sotheby’s in September which will sell more than 200 pieces. The auction is predicted to raise £65m.”
Sculpture In Emin-Curated Show Smashed Accidentally
“The £6,000 sculpture was part of an exhibit in a display at the Royal Academy’s summer exhibition curated by Tracey Emin, who described the work as a star of her show… A visitor fell into the cordoned off piece on Saturday, sending it to the floor and smashing into hundreds of pieces.”
Warhol Comes To Beijing
“A complete set of Andy Warhol’s silkscreen and acrylic paint “Athletes” series will go on show at the Faurschou gallery in Beijing on 26 July in an exhibition timed to coincide with the Olympics… Their display in China, along with other Warhol portraits of celebrities such as Michael Jackson, represents the first major show by the artist in mainland China where his market has never been tested.”
Isserlis On Education
Cellist Steven Isserlis is well-known as an advocate of music education, and a performer who goes out of his way to work with kids. He also has some strong opinions on the right and wrong way to win new fans for classical music. “You have to bring them in gently. You can’t bring in a child and plonk him down in front of a Bruckner symphony”
Ohio Orchestras In Holding Pattern Over Columbus
While loyal fans of the shuttered Columbus Symphony mourn the cancellation of its fall season, other Ohio orchestras are waiting to assess the fallout. No other orchestras in the region are planning to hold concerts in Columbus in 2008-09, mindful of the tackiness of taking advantage of another organization’s collapse.
Embracing Musical Uncertainty
“Making it up as you go along might work well in the worlds of experimental theatre, freeform jazz, or when you’re caught pilfering biros, but in the world of classical music improvising went the way of Beethoven at around the same time Beethoven went… [Now,] most soloists prefer the security of jotting down a few bars before they put a shoe on stage. Not so Gabriela Montero, the 38-year-old Venezuelan concert pianist who is reviving this neglected art.”