“[Science fiction] isn’t a new genre in Indian cinema, but it has nothing like the profile it has in the West. … While Hollywood has a long tradition of making more naturalistic films about space travel – from 2001: A Space Odyssey, to Gravity and First Man – it’s only now, with the enormous strides in India’s own space exploration, that such films are beginning to resonate with the public.” – The Guardian
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How Words Evolve Into Language
When we learn how the world is made through words, we also learn to be sceptical of our current iteration of reality and more tolerant of other perspectives. If life can be differently worded, it can be differently lived. – The Guardian
Even New Operas Are Still Treating Women As Sacrificial Lambs. When The Hell Will It Stop?
Joshua Kosman: “Here’s my request for today to creators of contemporary opera: How would it be if we had a new work that did not turn on a female character sacrificing herself to redeem a man? … The Bay Area’s operatic stages this month have been weirdly rife with women eager to throw themselves overboard for a man’s sake, and honestly my patience is starting to wear a little thin.” – San Francisco Chronicle
Takis, Sculptor Known For ‘Kinetic Art’, Dead At 93
“A self-described ‘instinctive scholar,’ Takis” — né Panayiotis Vassilakis — “worked primarily in plaster and wrought iron before becoming fascinated by magnetism, electricity and sound — and how those unseen forces animate the physical world and how they might also breathe life into his artistic creations.” – The Washington Post
More Than 70,000 People Used New York City Libraries’ Culture Pass In Its First Year
Of those 70,000, 12,000 signed up in the first week alone. “Cardholders at the Brooklyn, New York and Queens public libraries can gain free admission through the program at participating cultural institutions that include museums, performance venues, botanical gardens and historical societies.” – The New York Times
How Far Are Institutions Obligated To Protect The Art In Their Possession, And What Can The Public Reasonably Insist Those Institutions Do?
Reflecting on the contretemps over the Life of Washington murals at a San Francisco high school as well as the decision by one small Northern California museum to sell much of its art and another to end an exhibition program, Charles Desmarais considers “what I think of as a kind of cultural duty of care — with the avoidance of negligence or harm to works of art maintained by an organization for the public good.” – San Francisco Chronicle
Controversial San Francisco School Mural Won’t Be Removed. It Will Be Hidden By Panels.
In a 4-to-3 vote, the San Francisco Board of Education voted to reverse its earlier decision to paint over the series of 13 Victor Arnautoff frescoes, collectively titled The Life of Washington, at the city’s George Washington High School. Students and activists had complained of the murals’ depiction of Native Americans and of Washington’s African-American slaves, though Arnautoff had maintained that those depictions were meant to be critical of the country’s treatment of those two groups. – The New York Times
Los Angeles Opera To Investigate Sexual Misconduct Allegations Against Plácido Domingo, Who Has Been Its General Director For 21 Years
The company, which will “retain outside counsel” to look into the accusations, said in a statement that Domingo “has been a dynamic creative force in the life of LA Opera and the artistic culture of Los Angeles for more than three decades. Nevertheless, we are committed to doing everything we can to foster a professional and collaborative environment where all our employees and artists feel equally comfortable, valued and respected.” – Los Angeles Times
San Francisco Opera Cancels Sold-Out Plácido Domingo Gala
Just hours after an AP story featured allegations of sexual harassment against the opera superstar, and shortly after the Philadelphia Orchestra disinvited him from its season-opening gala next month, San Francisco Opera cancelled an Oct. 6 concert headlined by Domingo. (Meanwhile, the Salzburg Festival is standing by him.) – San Francisco Classical Voice
Literary Festivals Are Finally Making Their Mark In Africa
“In Sub-Saharan Africa, … ‘book fairs’ have been publishing industry affairs where players meet to do deals … away from the reading public. Until recently. In the last decade and a half, there has been a rise of a new kind of literary festival where writers and readers interact over their text and how it affects their lives.” – Quartz