Building in a sustainable way is a cultural problem. For example: “The idea of a tall building has existed since architecture’s beginnings and came to fruition in the Gothic era with the race towards the tallest nave and spire, and again in the United States during the early 20th century. Developing countries like Malaysia and China have now entered the global competition for the tallest building, indifferent to the building type’s ecological footprint and vying for the longest time holding the height record. The cultural footprint of a building of this kind then by far exceeds its ecological footprint. It is unlikely that rational argument will ever deter clients and architects from pursuing goals like the tallest buildings, goals that are deeply lodged in mental landscapes and reinforced by various media over decades or centuries. Similar forms of competition exist in other areas of architectural discourse.”
Tag: 03.03
Dumb And Dumber – Just How Do These Books Get Published?
It’s supposed to be really difficult to get a book published, right? So how to account for all the really dumb books out there? “What were they thinking? I’m not talking here about bad books. Though they exist, books that are just plain and irredeemably awful are too sad to waste time thinking about. No: the books I’m presently pondering aren’t necessarily bad – though some of them are – they’re just so… well… dumb and unplaceable, it’s difficult to imagine book store owners knowing what to do with them, let alone book buyers.”
Are British Readers Abandoning Newspapers?
British newspapers are ailing. “Advertising revenue shows no signs of recovering after falling for the past two years, and the latest circulation figures suggest that nearly all titles have lost sales over the past year. Journalists are worrying about their jobs, and managers about the newspapers they manage. An article in the Economist suggests that the newspaper industry is in long-term decline, and that even those young people who can actually read are turning away from papers in increasing numbers. The sense of gloom is infectious.”
How To Enjoy Your Museum Visit
Haven’t been to a museum in awhile and you’re wondering what the right way to appreciate what’s inside? The Onion has a helpful guide. Tip #12: “Spend a minimum of 30 seconds, ideally 45, staring at each exhibit so no one will suspect that every molecule in your body is screaming to get the hell out of there and go to the mall.”
Where Are The Great Women Artists?
Back in 1971, art historian Linda Nochlin published an influential essay titled “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?” “It was a provocative, lengthy, and wide-ranging examination of women’s status, past and present, which commenced with the author’s “open-minded wonderment that women, despite so many years of near-equality . . . have still not achieved anything of exceptional significance in the visual arts.” Now – 30 years later – “how many of Nochlin’s observations remain valid and how have they influenced the discourse on art in the academy, in the museums, and in the marketplace?”
What Makes Baz Boheme Work On Broadway?
Opera and Broadway have long tried to mix it up – but rarely with success. Somehow, despite the rising popularity of crossover, one can’t escape the conventional wisdom that opera and Broadway occupy two distinct and conflicting worlds. How, then, is one to react to the surprise success of Baz Luhrmann’s $6.5 million production of Puccini’s La Bohème on Broadway?”
Opera As A Big Fun Show
“Whether or not the Broadway Bohème is an operatic success is almost beside the point. It is a marketing triumph that will likely allow Luhrmann and his investors to recoup the show’s $6.5 million investment – and then some. La Bohème’s success shows that it’s possible, if expensive, to sell opera to non-operagoers. There’s a lesson here for opera impresarios. It shouldn’t be that hard to persuade people who love the art form to attend performances by giving them a good reason for going. And if opera can go to Broadway, why can’t Broadway go to the opera?”
Envisioning The City
No one wants their city to become a sprawling, ugly mess. So why do so many cities end up that way, and why is it so difficult to reverse the trend? A combination of economic and political factors make for a wall of resistance against “building smart,” and city zoning codes and neighborhood objections (also known as the Not-In-My-Backyard phenomenon) play a significant role in slowing responsible urban growth. As a result, only the most doggedly determined urban planners ever see their visions come to fruition in American cities.
What Happened To Jazz?
“What happened to Wynton Marsalis? That may be like asking What happened to jazz? For twenty years the fates of Marsalis and jazz music have appeared inextricably intertwined.” But at the age of 40 Marsalis finds himself without a recording contract, and many in jazz feel that “by leading jazz into the realm of unbending classicism, by applying the Great Man template to establish an iconography and by sanctifying a canon of their own choosing Marsalis and his adherents are said to have codified the music in a stifling orthodoxy and inhibited the revolutionary impulses that have always advanced jazz.”
How Do You Make A Poet Laureate? (They Want To Know)
“With their public profiles growing, the role of poets laureate is being called into question. In April the nation’s first conference for state poets laureate will convene in Manchester, New Hampshire, where they will discuss poetry and their responsibilities as public representatives of their art. The goal of the conference is for poets laureate to meet each other, discuss the ambiguities and perceived responsibilities of being a state-endorsed poet, and explore what happens when poetry intersects with politics, education, and community.”