John Brockman has a “fundamental opposition to the separation of art and science. Instead, he sees art as science and science as art. This way of thinking beyond the boundaries is a guiding theme that defines his activities, which focus on establishing networks.”
Tag: 09.19.14
Kenny Wheeler, Jazz Trumpeter And Composer, Dead At 84
“Wheeler’s ECM albums of the Seventies – recorded with Norma Winstone and John Taylor – remain a touchstone of quiet and unflamboyant ensemble playing. Wheeler, also a flugelhorn player, was a fine composer, as he showed in works such as Jigsaw, with its clever harmonic patterns.”
At ArtPrize, Jury Decisions Gain Equality With Popular Vote
“For the first time this year, the public votes and juried votes will run along parallelled tracks. Both the jury and the public will be mulling over the same four categories, awarding prizes with the same amount of money for each category at $20,000 and awarding an equal Grand Prize of $200,000.”
India Develops A Stand-Up Comedy Scene
“Affluent Indian urbanites – till now weaned on a censorship-prone diet of cinema and soap operas – are awakening to this new form of entertainment, fascinated by the prospect of non-stop laughs for an hour. And they’re willing to pay for it.” But comedians doing their usual skewering of taboos face more-than-usual risks.
“It’s Just Gray, Frightened People Holding On For Dear Life”: Terry Gilliam On Hollywood
“In Hollywood, at least when I was making films there, there were people in the studios that actually had personalities. You could distinguish one from the other. And now, I don’t see that at all. … I just want to do what I do. And I don’t even get scripts from Hollywood. I don’t even ask for scripts anymore because I kind of know what they’re going to be.”
Remember That Afghan Town With The Blown-Up Buddhas? It Wants To Be A Vacation Destination
“As manager of Bamiyan’s tourism association, Ibrahim is the brains and muscle behind a push to convince foreigners to visit a town made internationally famous by one of the worst acts of cultural terrorism in recent history. Having enjoyed years of relative stability, Bamiyan wants to open up its cultural heritage to intrepid travelers curious to see more of the country than war.”
How A Combination Art-and-Housing Project Earned Its Creator A MacArthur Grant
“Social sculpture” is the term that artist – and new MacArthur Fellow – Rick Lowe uses to describe Project Row Houses, which functions as both visual and conceptual art, social housing (notably for young single mothers), and art incubator and exhibitor.
The Fox, The Hedgehog, And The Death Of Classic Hollywood
Kenneth Turan: “Simply put, Hollywood has traditionally been celebrated as the fox, entertaining everybody by making movies for a wide variety of appetites and audiences. … Today’s Hollywood, by contrast, has transformed itself into the hedgehog. The one big thing it knows how to do is make sequels and superhero movies and sequels to superhero movies, all aimed at a young adult crowd with no end in sight.”
Southern California Institute Of Architecture’s New Director Has A Plan, But He’s Not Talking About It
“The idea that the next appointed director has one year to establish plans for curriculum and development is a very refreshing thing,” Hernan Diaz Alonso said.
What Virginia Woolf Learned (Some Might Say Copied) From Edith Wharton
“Whether Wharton herself ever noticed the parallel is lost to history, but, from our current vantage point, Woolf’s breezy dismissal of American authors, including Wharton — ‘they do not give us anything we have not got already’ — seems, at best, questionable.”