Good morning: A short week. We took a couple of days off for Thanksgiving. So why are so many stories about the arts about technology? Because technology increasingly shapes the ways we interact with the world. There are those who resent tech. But “when we go as far into the technology as we can, stripping everything else away and breaking the problem down into its constituent bits, where do we end up? Exactly there, of course: at the literal bits, the 1s and 0s of digital computation. And what do bits tell us about the world? I’m simplifying here, but pretty much: everything. Cat or dog. Harris or Trump. Black or white. Everyone thinks in binary terms these days. Because that’s what’s enforced and entrenched by the dominant machinery. More here in Wired.
Here are more highlights from the week.
- Apple Versus Hollywood “Or at least movie theatres and cinematic releases. ‘In spite of some directors’ unhappiness, Apple seems set on being cautious with its theatrical risks from now on.’” The Verge
- Austin Redirected All Its Arts Funding Toward Marginalized Groups. Now Established Organizations Fear the Arts Ecosystem Could Collapse. “Dozens of established and proven groups and individual artists have had the financial floor ripped from under them. As one company leader put it, ‘If you’re from an organization that isn’t from a traditionally marginalized group, it’s currently not possible … to be funded as an arts group in Austin.’”
The Austin Chronicle - Lessons the Art World Is Learning at Auction, Post-Election
“Some analysts expected that Donald J. Trump’s victory in the presidential election would cast a glow over the art market after seeing the prices of some stocks, cryptocurrencies, and the dollar lift shortly after his win. And yet, no.” The New York Times - Opera in Its Traditional Role: Innovator, Leader in Technology
“Every technology affects the way that we think, behave and interact. AI is not going away. It will become a part of our humanity, and therefore a part of our art-making.” The Guardian - The Circus That Bought an Old West Town in the Desert
“Spiegelworld, an entertainment and circus company based in Las Vegas, bought the entire town in 2022 for $2.5 million. This isolated plot of land, roughly an hour’s drive from Vegas and the same distance from the nearest grocery store, is now known as Spiegelworld’s ‘global headquarters’ or, more simply, the ‘circus town.’” The Guardian
Jump down to see all the stories we collected this week, grouped by art form. Have a great week!
Doug
