Category: issues

“I would never tell artists that they had to address social issues in their work, because as soon as you tell artists that they have to do something, they turn around and poop on the floor. Tell them, instead, that these questions are difficult, that the story is missing something without them, that they are another dimension, and then see what happens.”

“Although performing on the platform and mezzanine is legal (there is no permit or permission needed), subway performers have experienced an unprecedented amount of harassment from NYPD officers this year.”

“Madame Jojo’s – home to some of London’s most diverse nightlife for more than half a century” – has had its license revoked by the local council of Westminster. Some activists say that it’s an attempt by the council to gentrify Soho; the council says it’s because of “an organised assault with injury” by the club’s staff.

“The center plans to commission, program and present innovative work from around the world, across the arts and the creative industries, including film, fashion, video, performing arts, culinary arts, music and publishing. It is expected to become the new home of Fashion Week and a possible anchor for the Tribeca Film Festival.”

“The antagonisms between highbrow and lowbrow aren’t new, and have arguably even diminished somewhat in comparison with the Astor Place riot. Highbrow has long sneered at lowbrow, and lowbrow has long sneered right back. What’s different is not the conflict, but the fact that the antagonism occurs in a landscape where highbrow and lowbrow have split into more clearly defined camps.”

“The conversion of defunct factory spaces into art spaces is a powerful metaphor for the conversion of U.S. cities from places where thousands of people made stuff to places where a few hundred creatives toil, typically for low wages.

By now, most of us have learned to see through, and make fun of, Upworthy-style headlines. “Thus clickbait – or whatever you want to call it – has now, in the manner of a hemorrhagic fever, evolved. It’s finished with its low-hanging-fruit phase, and has attached itself to a new form of curiosity-gap exploitation, one that’s more insidious, but no less irritating.”

“The company has been criticized repeatedly, both for its commercial dominance and in regards to privacy.”

“Governments coddle these cities the same way nursing homes care for Alzheimer’s patients; everything is planned, nothing happens organically. Those splendid skylines are so fraught with symbolism and national pride that a misplaced roof tile could cause panic. The only future these cities will ever know is their own past.”

“Art schools used to be havens for students who, for whatever reason, had not found their niche in the traditional academic system. Now prospective art students very often have to prove their academic credentials to compete for a place at the most prestigious colleges.”