Big recording companies have petitioned the Australian federal court to “allow their computer experts to scan all computers at the University of Melbourne for sound files and email accounts, so they can gather evidence of claimed widespread breaches of copyright.”
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Paris Museums Moving Art
Paris museums have begun moving about 100,000 works of art from underground storage rooms. “The decision to move this art to an undisclosed location north of Paris followed the floods that swept Central Europe last summer, damaging museums and other cultural institutions, notably in Dresden, Germany, and in Prague. Although French art collections were not seriously affected by the 1910 floods, the French government concluded that Paris museums were more vulnerable today.”
Art Auctions – Waiting For The Law Of Diminishing Returns
This season’s art auction sales held up. But there are ominous signs. “The law of diminishing returns suggests we are coming to the end of the back-toback, buy-to-sell cycle. The best of the “turning” and profit-taking has gone, and the contemporary collectors have stocked up on the prizes they missed first time round. This does not produce the growth the market needs. Not only are we looking for a new generation of artists, we’re desperate for a new wave of collectors.”
Unfunding Scottish Music
The Scottish Arts Council has come under fire for its funding intentions. But not much noticed was a decision to remove funding for two organizations that have been essential to the cause of new music in Scotland. How does this serve the cause of Scottish culture?
Chorus Strikes Troubled English National Opera
Chorus members of the English National Opera have voted to strike next week, forcing the company to cancel performances of Berlioz’s “Les Troyens.” Cancellation of the epic choral-opera will cost the company more than £50,000 in box office income, plus thousands more in wages for front-of-house and production staff. The chorus voted unanimously for five strike actions throughout the season in protest at plans to make one third of them redundant when the Coliseum closes for refurbishment in June.”
Censorship Or Sensitivity?
A student newspaper at Boston College is being accused of censorship by a theater group at the school, after the paper refused to publish an ad for an upcoming production, because the ad featured a swastika. The play being advertised “is about a fictional university professor who is drawn into the Nazi movement.” The paper suggested to the theater that the ad be edited, with text replacing the swastika, and that version will run in the next edition, but there is still much debate over whether the paper should have run the ad without changes. The paper’s editors point out that they are under no obligation to run every ad submitted, referencing the fact that “the paper doesn’t run ads for abortion clinics, out of respect for BC’s Catholic affiliation.”
The Israeli Academic Boycott
A boycott of Israeli universities and their academic by-products is underway across Europe, organized by European and American academics who revile the Sharon government’s hardline policies in the occupied territories. One of the main targets of the boycott is Neve Gordon, who fires back that “Israeli universities continue to be an island of freedom surrounded by a stifling and threatening environment. In the past two years the Israeli media, which was once known for its critical edge, has been suppressing critical voices… To fight the anti-intellectual atmosphere within Israel, local academics need as much support as they can get from their colleagues abroad.”
Making A Point At Berlin Fest
“The upset winner as best film at the politically charged Berlin Film Festival is In This World, a faux docu-drama about refugees from Afghanistan journeying to Europe. The awarding of the Golden Bear prize to Michael Winterbottom’s film ahead of favourite The Hours and other high-profile titles Adaptation, Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind and 25th Hour, was seen as a pointed anti-war statement from the seven-member jury led by Canadian director Atom Egoyan. The festival was overshadowed by protests at U.S. military intentions against Iraq. The closing awards ceremony on Saturday took place against the backdrop of a massive anti-war demonstration in the German capital.”
Shaky Start For Welser-Möst
The Cleveland Orchestra recently returned from its first domestic tour under new music director Franz Welser-Möst, and while the organization is calling the tour a smashing success, the critics appear to be taking a different view of the ensemble that many have considered to be America’s best orchestra in recent years. Welser-Möst was fairly unknown when Cleveland chose him to succeed Christoph von Dohnanyi, and many arts writers appear to be unconvinced of his talents. While the tour garnered its share of praise, there were also stern reprimands from critics in New York, Boston, and London. Perhaps even more ominous is the fact that the orchestra’s hometown critic seems to agree with the skeptics.
Slapping The Mouth You Feed?
With funding for public broadcasting under fire in Canada, you would think that the CBC would take all the help and support it could find. But a new organization agitating on behalf of the $900-million-a-year public network is being regarded with some suspicion by CBC higher-ups. Our Public Airwaves, a pro-CBC lobbying group which sprang into existence last summer, has so far done nothing to which the company could object. But OPA is a creation of the two unions representing CBC workers, and at a time when relations between management and labor have not exactly been cozy, the CBC brass are not openly embracing the group.