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New Bible Modernizes the Word With Angelina: Heavenly Idea?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:45:22 -0700

Though the story might always start, "in the beginning," the Bible has taken a whole host of formats from iPod ready to graphic novel, but this latest incarnation called Bible Illuminated: The Book takes the Bible and smashes in a bit of People and a little bit of Vogue and reimagines it as an avant-garde coffee-table book of photo essays to tell the story of Jesus for an Angelina Age (yep, she's in there.)What's behind the new slick format? One professor of religious studies explains it like this: "In general, Bible publishers have always been creative, but now they are scrambling to meet a culture where people are moving away from print reading. In a visually literate, advertising-skeptical age — how do you grab people's attention? Mixing the biblical text with Angelina Jolie doesn't surprise me."Sales of Bibles rise during times of war and economic crisis, (uh, check and check) so the new version may be an instant best-seller and might lure new readers in. The dean emeritus at the Nida Institute For Biblical Scholarship says, "We are living in the age of increased secularization and distance from traditional religion. It's about new points of entry in a modern world that is not ready to open its doors and windows to the traditional word."

New Bible Modernizes the Word With Angelina: Heavenly Idea?

Of course! As long as it tells the story, what's wrong with modern images?

No way. It's one step closer to total commodatization. Jesus is fine without Angelina.

Other. I'll give you my good word in the comments.

Artist Shows True Consequences of Brutal Bugs Cartoons

CitizenSugar — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 10:00:36 -0700

Ah, Saturday morning. That blissful time formerly devoted exclusively to cartoons, though what happened? Cartoon Network, did you have to ruin everything? Even though Bugs, Daffy, and their pals might not be standard pancake breakfast companions anymore, given this new less-than-appetizing art show at London's Aquarium gallery, that might be a good thing.

You know how Elmer Fudd was always hunting ducks, and Daffy's bill was constantly getting blown to the back of his head? Artist James Cauty does — and he's re-imagined all of the faux-cartoon violence, with realistic gory consequences. The artist says, "People have been saying since the 60's that cartoons should show the consequences of violence, or kids will get the wrong idea. It's very difficult to shock kids these days — you have cartoon characters being shot in the head and walking off cliffs, so we have decided to replace them with something more realistic."

That realism includes a work showing the cat Sylvester having taken a bite out of Tweety, with a generous amount of blood, and Tom the cat chopping Jerry the mouse into small pieces in a pool of . . . Jerry's insides. Is this appropriate for kids? To see what the artist says,

Mama Mia! Michelangelo's David Could Topple Over!

LibertySugar — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 11:00:00 -0700

He may have become more beautiful with age, but Michelangelo's David needs some serious work done if he's not to collapse.

Engineering experts say that restoration work of up to 1 million euros ($1.45 million) must be done to save the Renaissance statue. David's nemesis isn't Goliath this time, but rather the masses of tourists who have walked past the warrior too many times, causing damage.

Only four years ago, David received an extreme makeover for his 500th birthday. Unfortunately the cracks that were filled have already opened. Should Italy keep putting money into David, or instead close him off to close-up, and hazardous, viewing?

Source

Famous Cubist Painting Goes Missing From American College

LibertySugar — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:00:58 -0700

The famous "Woman and Child" painting by early 20th-century French Cubist Fernand Leger has gone missing from Wellesley College outside Boston.

Apparently the painting disappeared after the school (which just happens to be Sen. Hillary Clinton's alma mater) lent it to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art for a 2006-2007 exhibition. It was returned to the college after the exhibition was over, but was kept in a crate and was subsequently lost or stolen. What's shocking (to me at least) is that the school's president made the announcement this week, and the painting, which had been housed at Wellesley since 1954, reportedly went missing in November.

The relatively small piece — it's about two feet wide — is estimated to be worth tens of millions of dollars. While the school officials say they still hope it will be found, reports suggest two other paintings boxed with it have been accounted for.

An earlier Leger painting, "Etude pour La Femme en Bleu," sold for nearly $40 million at auction in New York this year. The school's insurance company is offering a $100,000 reward.

Waterboarding "Thrill Ride" Hits Coney Island: Political Art?

CitizenSugar — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 09:00:07 -0700

Folks trekking out to Coney Island are looking for a little summer diversion involving water — but the newest attraction to grace the boardwalk takes that expectation and adds a political message. Called the "Waterboard Thrill Ride," the sideshow is decorated with SpongeBob, advertises that "it dont [sic] Gitmo better" and charges $1 for a look through a barred window onto what appears to be an interrogation scene.Robots portray a prisoner and an interrogator. After the dollar is paid, the lights come on and the prisoner begins to convulse violently as water is poured on his face. The artist behind the installation says its aim is to provoke people into thinking critically about the technique. He says, "robot waterboarding became a way of exploring the issue without doing any harm. It's putting a unique experience on the table. And it doesn't take a great leap of the imagination to look in there and say: 'That's really what's going on? That's crazy.'" And who doesn't fancy a little torture demo with their corndog?There's a video of the "ride" in action, including reaction from some bystanders, some of whom hadn't heard of waterboarding before. In that sense, is it a decent public service — or does it turn a serious message into a silly sideshow?

Waterboarding "Thrill Ride" Hits Coney Island: Political Art?

It's political art for sure. It's visually designed to blend in and it causes people to think.

Dumb! It's more serious than a boardwalk attraction, and using Spongebob lures kids.

It's just a gimmick. I don't think it will change minds either way.

Other. I'll pay my buck in the comments.

New York City Plans to Gain $55 Million on Waterfall Art

LibertySugar — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 03:00:25 -0700

I'm sure I don't "get" most esteemed works of art, but I'm still undecided about whether my reaction to New York City's waterfall art project is "wow" or "huh?" Four waterfalls designed by Danish artist Olafur Eliasson will show around NYC until October. Three cascade into the East River and New York Harbor from scaffolding towers, while the fourth falls from the Brooklyn Bridge.

Money-wiz Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the art will create $55 million in economic activity for his city (it cost $15.5 million). In a truly American fashion, companies will offer $10 boat tours of the falls, as well as a $50,000 Waterfall Package dripping with luxuries like a private boat tour, champaign, diamonds, dinner for two, and a luxury hotel stay.

Do you find public art to be an eyesore, or a beautiful economic ~~waterfall~~ windfall for cities?

Dead Wrong? Singer Ashanti Uses Murder to Promote Single

LibertySugar — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:15:03 -0700

R&B singer Ashanti has taken her controversially violent music video, featuring an aggrieved woman murdering her lover, to the next level. Fans can now send friends or enemies "gotchagrams," which pose as newscasts forecasting the recipient's imminent murder, which is inspired by Ashanti's video. Check out the graphic video that came with my "copycat" threat.

Get Flash to see this player.

If you're on the receiving end, you get the video delivered in a pretty personal email from "Detective James Nicholas," who urges you to contact him (via an actual phone number) immediately because your life may be in danger. I followed up with the detective and was greeted with a message from Ashanti. I then proceeded to get a followup text message that said: "Join my mob so I can text you later."

Ashanti's video and its freakishly realistic promotional tool seem to me like a senseless promotion of violence. But, perhaps it's just art and should be thought of as a reflection and not a cause of society's problems. Even so, I would hope that legitimate artistic expression has some level of sophistication that goes beyond a murder hoax. What do you think? Are you laughing?

Picture It: National Cathedral Gets a Make Over

LibertySugar — Sun, 11 May 2008 11:00:32 -0700

Here are some luminous pictures from the first showing of a new art project "Lighting to Unite" — a light show designed to ignite national and global unity. The project uses the National Cathedral in Washington, DC as its canvas.

Gerry Hofsetter, a Swiss artist, is responsible for these images, which include stars, human faces, and a mysterious woman in a kimono. According to the Washington Post he has displayed the British-flag on the white cliffs of Dover, hieroglyphics on the Great Pyramid, and a polar bear on an Antarctic iceberg.

About his most recent show in D.C., Hofstetter said: "Light is hope, fire is energy. These colors mean hope and energy."

Check out the pictures. Are you feeling the hope and energy?

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New Banksy Work Appears. Vandalism, Statement, or Art?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 09:54:55 -0800

A new work by artist Banksy appeared on a wall today in London. The mural shows a child raising a plastic shopping bag as a flag. Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said he will have to force retailers to reduce the use of plastic bags if they do not take action voluntarily.Banksy is a pseudonym for a well-known British graffiti artist. He is known for his beautifully detailed, unauthorized works, which usually include a deeper social message. One work, painted on the Palestinian side of the wall surrounding the West Bank, shows a trompe l'oeil image of a hole broken through the wall and a little boy on the other side. In his manifesto, Banksy points to a graffiti campaign waged in 1974 against the wrongful imprisonment of a man named George Davis. The omnipresent tags reading "G. Davis Is Innocent" brought the matter to the attention of the Home Secretary, who re-examined the case, ultimately leading to Davis's release. Though his work as an artist isn't entirely legal, his talent has inspired fans, like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, to spend $2 million on his work. My question is this: Just because it's well-done and created with a higher purpose, is that enough to elevate Banksy's work from common vandalism? At what point does art eclipse illegality? How would you classify his work?Source

New Banksy Work Appears. Vandalism, Statement, or Art?

Vandalism. It might look nice, but any unauthorized tagging is illegal.

Statement. It's a revolutionary act. Putting the images in public elevates the discourse.

Art. Where it occurs is irrelevant. The meaning is in the skillful execution.

A combination. I'll nail it down in the comments.

Other. Perhaps none of the above. Let me tell you. . . .

On The Newsstand: Who Owns History?

LibertySugar — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 13:00:00 -0800

Do historical artifacts belong to humankind, or to the countries they come from? This question, along with a bunch of property-rights laws, is at the center of the current custody battle over historical treasures.

This week's Time magazine outlines the dispute, which entangles nations, museums, and archeologists. Source nations — think Italy, Greece, Egypt, China — consider products of their ancient civilizations as national property. But "universal museums" — think the Louvre, Met, British Museum — counter that the artifacts are the heritage of humanity.

Enter archaeologists. They criticize museums for facilitating a black market and want laws that discourage looting. Yet, many laws prevent archaeologists from bringing any artifacts from their digs home to their universities or museums.

Entire museums would be emptied if source countries retained rights to everything, so how far back should claims go? If pieces are located around the world, does that allow more people to experience history? How can we tell harmonizing stories of history that focus both on the artifacts' significance to a specific civilization and to humanity as a whole?