“Public conveniences of old may have been porcelain palaces – but by the mid 20th Century, that glamour had given way to municipal functionality. Now, the Royal Institute of British Architects is asking five leading architectural practices to come up with new ideas for the public loo.” An audio slideshow with architecture critic and “toilet expert” Lucinda Lambton.
Tag: 08.08.09
Fractional Donations Of Art Could Make A Comeback
“Reacting to museums’ complaints of sharp declines in art donations, a bill announced Friday by Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, could revive the practice of so-called fractional gifts by making the process easier and more tax-advantageous. Before the 2006 Pension Protection Act, collectors were allowed a tax break when they donated a work of art incrementally, giving away a certain percentage of rights to the work each year.”
London’s Roundhouse As A Musical Instrument
“London’s iconic music venue Roundhouse … has been transformed into a giant steampunk musical instrument by Talking Heads founder David Byrne. An old pump organ in the centre of the circular hall is linked to the Roundhouse’s metal beams, cast iron pillars and plumping pipes, via a sprawling mass of cables. Visitors can ‘play’ the building by pressing the keyboard to make tuneful sounds and vibrations.”
Violinist Plays National Anthem On A Bat
“Glenn Donnellan used an electric violin that he hand-crafted from a regulation bat – Derek Jeter model – he bought at a local sporting goods store. A dedicated musician and a baseball fan, the 39-year-old Donnellan was primed to put his two loves together.”
Rethinking the Sustainability Of Preservation
“Architectural conservation has always been important, but at a time of environmental crisis, it no longer makes sense to tear down the past to clear the way for the future. More than ever, we must learn to live with history.”
Innovative Violin Maker Carleen Hutchins, 98
“Working intently and noisily in her home in Montclair, N.J., she helped reimagine the idea of what a violin could be. In the process she designed and built an entire family of violins, eight instruments proportional in size and pitch known collectively as the new violin family or the violin octet.The new violin family, its enthusiasts say, not only extends the range of the traditional violin family, but also corrects the acoustic imbalances among its members that have bedeviled composers and players for generations.”
The Most Expensive Hot Dog Cart In The World Is Outside The Metropolitan Museum
“Pasang Sherpa, 51, of Long Island City, lost his prime spot outside the Met on Friday when he failed to pay his $53,558 monthly rent at the city’s most lucrative vending spot.”
TV Producers Using The Web To Build More TV
TV producers are discovering that fans want more. More of their shows. Not behind-the-scenes. Not additional information. Many producers are now churning out small webisodes that build on regular TV shows.
Reading That Image Of President Clinton And Kim Jong-Il
“What seem to our eye as limitations are the result of deliberate intent. It’s a piece of political propaganda. As such it belongs to a subspecies of kitsch known as totalitarian kitsch, where art’s sole raison d’etre is to bolster a dictatorial regime and glorify its leader.”
Bye Bye Printed Textbooks?
“Textbooks have not gone the way of the scroll yet, but many educators say that it will not be long before they are replaced by digital versions — or supplanted altogether by lessons assembled from the wealth of free courseware, educational games, videos and projects on the Web.”