Blog

Liverpool Rethinks Culture Year

Robyn Archer’s resignation as director of Liverpool’s Capital of Culture programs has made organizers rethink. “We have to beware of the kneejerk reaction that [Archer’s ideas] were too intelligent for this city. We need a variety that includes all sorts of weird and wonderful cultural adventures. There also has to be a lot that local people can engage with but it mustn’t be a parochial, inward-looking event celebrating scouse culture. Why would the rest of Europe take notice of us if we are too insular?”

Behold Rembrandt, The Musical

“The $1.25m (£679,000) show places the story of his life and times in 17th-century Holland against a backdrop of digital images of his masterpieces, projected on to 30ft (9 metre) screens. The resolution is so high that from the back of a 900-seat theatre the audience can see the veins in the hands of an old woman.”

Two Kinds Of Genius

Researchers have found that “genius – whether in art or architecture or even business – is not the sole province of 17-year-old Picassos and 22-year-old Andreessens. Instead, it comes in two very different forms, embodied by two very different types of people. ‘Conceptual innovators’ make bold, dramatic leaps in their disciplines. They do their breakthrough work when they are young. They make the rest of us feel like also-rans. Then there’s a second character type, someone who’s just as significant but trudging by comparison – ‘experimental innovators’.”

Hollywood’s Better Summer

A year ago Hollywood was anxious about a string of bad weeks at the box office. But “as of early July the picture has brightened for Hollywood with a slight surge in profits. The news comes as a big relief – just weeks ago the figures were not encouraging, according to film industry analysts.”

Abu Dhabi Guggenheim Motive?

So Abu Dhabi is to get a Guggenheim Museum. “If there’s one place that doesn’t need an economically regenerating ‘Guggenheim effect’ it’s surely oil-rich Abu Dhabi. Is this a genuine cultural initiative, or just a ploy to lure Middle East shoppers away from Dubai’s designer boutiques? But what will they actually put in the new museum?”

Ballet Florida Moves To Compete

Ballet Florida is stepping up its game, making new hires and expanding its activities in Palm Beach. “The changes come two years after the Miami City Ballet expanded its presence in Palm Beach County by adding more shows at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts and establishing a development arm there. That company’s efforts have paid off with fundraising dollars increasing 45 percent in two years and attendance to Kravis Center performances growing to 25,529 at 25 performances during the season.”

What Your Ringtones Say About You

“Ringtones used to suffer the reputation of music’s annoying little cousin. The frustratingly raw, digitized song sketches often recalled the early days of synthesizers and video game soundtracks. But as the technology has come into its own, so has the range of uses, transforming ringtones into a bona fide cultural phenomenon.”

Lose Weight And We’ll Rehire You (Disturbing)

“There are potentially disturbing implications in the rehiring by the London Royal Opera House of American soprano Deborah Voigt after she lost 135 pounds. If major opera companies are going to start requiring their stars to be svelte – well, 135 pounds closer to svelte – this could kill one of the last stages where artists don’t have to apologize for not being a size 2.”