Hilariously to anyone who’s ever worked in, or anywhere near, pastels, “There’s one theorist who said it was better for women to use because they wouldn’t soil their fair hands the way that they would with oil paint.” – NPR
Blog
When A Star Stares Right Back
Why did The Washington Post reviewer (and the now-infamous headline writer) have such a hard time dealing with singer Debbie Harry’s memoir? Perhaps because “she always comes off as tough and matter-of-fact and New York–y,” and the Post reviewer wanted a lot more. – The Atlantic
The New Movie Tech Of Making Will Smith Look Like He’s A Quarter-Century Younger
Apparently this is, or was, a new process; “Digital humans have been put into shots before, but, according to Guy Williams, a visual effects supervisor at Weta who is quoted in the film’s press notes, ‘this is the first time where one of the leading characters of the film is a totally recognizable human.'” The details are new, but the fountain of youth for established actors isn’t (think, if you will, of Samuel Jackson’s Nick Fury and Clark Gregg’s Agent Coulson in the set-in-the-early-1990s Captain Marvel). Will Smith’s digitally ageless baby face might be a harbinger of many, many movies to come. – The New York Times
The Internet And Texting Are Changing Language – But Not For The Worse
IDEK why ppl think txting & emojis aren’t language. “Any concerns about what the internet is doing to our collective mental health must be set against the poetry that it has simultaneously unleashed – the sheer range of textual innovation and expression that you can find on Tumblr or Twitter or even TikTok, the way three dots, or a question without a question mark, or ‘idk lol’ can become loaded with meaning – The Guardian (UK)
Don’t Get It Wrong: AI Is A Tool, Not A Mind
“For two millennia, humanity has endured good and bad in the name of God. We are on the cusp of repeating the same drama on a new plane. Some people believe AI is a mind. They describe its functions with active verbs. They revere AI’s potential as infinite, as if it were some divinity. Non-believers disagree and say, “An AI ‘mind’ is not a real mind. You wrongly credit AI with power.” Believers grow angry and demand respect for AI.” – The American Interest
The Politics Of Noise (It’s Everywhere)
Noise is never just about sound; it is inseparable from issues of power and powerlessness. It is a violation we can’t control and to which, because of our anatomy, we cannot close ourselves off. “We have all thought of killing our neighbors at some point,” a soft-spoken scientist researching noise abatement told me. As environmental hazards go, noise gets low billing. – The Atlantic
A Seattle Theatre’s Existential Question: What’s The Cost Of Survival?
“Sustainable. It was one of the hot buzzwords in the funding community a few years ago, until some began questioning why it was desirable to enable artistically limp arts organizations be better able to limp along. Sometimes perhaps it’s better to declare victory and acknowledge you’ve said all you needed to say.” – Post Alley
Billionaire Francois Pinault’s New $170 Million Paris Museum To Open Next June
Pinault currently operates two other museums in Venice—the Palazzo Grassi and the Punta della Dogana, both of which were also designed by Ando. Pinault is known for putting on must-see shows by artists with marquee names, such as Damien Hirst, Albert Oehlen, and Sigmar Polke, and his museum in Paris is set to become one of the most closely watched in a city rich with contemporary art spaces. – ARTnews
How Artists Are Dealing With Student Debt
In 2014, 60 percent had a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared with 39 percent of all workers. The average cost of an arts education in 2010–11 was $40,000 per year after grants and scholarships. Perhaps unsurprisingly, in 2014, 35 percent of recent art-school graduates said debt had a “major impact” on their educational and career decisions. – Artsy
LA’s Studio Musicians Say Move To Streaming Makes Will Kill The Business
As television’s center of gravity begins to pivot decisively to made-for-streaming product, the lack of residuals for such programming becomes more and more urgent for musicians. “This is an extinction-level event,” says Marc Sazer, long active in AFM Local 47 and the RMA, which is a related organization. “Our ability to make a sustainable living is facing extinction.” – The Hollywood Reporter