The tradition, which has been focused in Japan but spread out from there via the internet (of course), gets people wearing “costumes” like “just got out of bed and grabbed the first thing I saw to spray a roach with.” This is, perhaps, a great thing. “Philosophers interested in the ‘aesthetics of the everyday’ argue that the way we think about aesthetics is too focused on heightened ideas of beauty. In fact, they point out, repetitive tasks like chores, unremarkable objects like trash cans and diapers, and common interactions between family members and neighbors can all be considered to possess ‘aesthetics.'” – Slate
Blog
They’ve Maybe Found William Henry Harrison’s Sword
He wasn’t president for long (31 days, actually), but during that time, he sported his (then famous) sword from the (then famous) Battle of Tippecanoe. In 1979, it was stolen from the Connecticut Historical Society. The sword – or maybe a copy, the owner claims! – went up for auction and was promptly seized. But whose sword is it? – The New York Times
As ‘Nutcracker’ Season Cranks Up, Kansas City Ballet Says It’s Time To ‘Phase Out’ Racist Stereotypes
The Nutcracker, which is the source of much funding for ballet companies across the Western world and especially in the U.S., is a huge tradition – and one that, increasingly, audiences are finding disturbing. So ballet companies are making changes for this year’s and future productions. “On Friday, the Kansas City Ballet announced the company has signed on to a national campaign called Final Bow for Yellowface, a pledge to remove outdated caricatures.” – KCUR
The Art World’s Most Lucrative Prize Goes To Colombian Artist Doris Salcedo
The Nomura Award is in its inaugural year, and it gives $1 million to a living artist. Salcedo won “for her body of work produced over the last 25 years, which has focused on the human cost of the conflict between successive governments and rebel groups in Colombia” and has included melting weapons from 7,000 former fighters into tiles for an exhibition space in Bogotá. – The New York Times
An Old Text, Set To New Music
Catholic Scottish composer James MacMillan, whose version of the “Stabat Mater” – a meditation on Mary, the mother of Jesus, suffering during the Crucifixion – is at the Lincoln Center this week, “sees himself as part of a widespread search among composers for the sacred in contemporary music.” – The New York Times
Raising Successful Kids Comes At The Expense Of A Decent Society
In the U.S., at least, kindness and empathy are on a statistical decline. So what can parents do? Stop the focus on success, and focus on what we can do that’s decent and good. “The point is not to badger kids into kindness, or dangle carrots for caring, but to show that these qualities are noticed and valued.” – The Atlantic
There’s Always A Reason To Hate ‘Perfect’ Images Of Other People
It used to be magazines and the Photoshopping that went into making cover models and celebrities look even thinner and more “perfect” than they already are. But this time it’s regular people on Instagram. – The New York Times
The Oscars May Turn Into A Battle Of Two Genders
Will “boy films” or “girl films” dominate? And also, WTF, Hollywood? – The Guardian (UK)
Why Are Hollywood Assistants ‘In Open Revolt’?
Assistants are mad as hell, and they have the law behind them now, too. “Subjected to grueling hours, low pay, few benefits or protections and the vagaries of monomaniacal bosses, assistants have largely toiled in silence because it was considered a golden ticket to advancement — but no longer.” – Los Angeles Times
From Jazz To Classical Without Losing The Beat
Myra Melford is a composer as comfortable in jazz scenes as she is composing for new music ensembles. “Call it an ‘organic approach to composition,’ which is how her one-time teacher Henry Threadgill described his process during their studies. Melford’s approach curiously also comes, albeit somewhat intuitively, from growing up in a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.” – NewMusicBox