Inside America’s Shoplifting Lab
"In the war on 'shrink,' big retailers are turning to one Florida outfit to study shoppers and prevent them from stealing. I went there—and saw far too much."
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The diffusion pilot
What does it mean to make art in the age of inexhaustible AIs? An animator ponders his purpose and reclaims some control - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
Michael Asher Digs Deep
A survey of the artist who made museums his medium, the godmothers of ecosexuality, and more.
The Longreads Questionnaire, Featuring Aymann Ismail
The Slate writer and Becoming Baba author reflects on Newark and mosques as home, making sense of Egypt on long flights, and becoming a father.
Disposable software
Even though it’s invisible, easily transported and weightless, software used to stick around. It took years to architect and build a complex bit of software, and thousands of people to help maintain it. Even a complex website could be seen as a durable technical asset. Now,
Explore 1,300+ Beautiful Wildlife Illustrations from the 19th Century, Now Restored and Available Online
Today, if you want to know about any of the flora or fauna that surround us, you have only to look it up online. After you get your fill of knowledge, you can decide whether or not you want to venture out into the world and see your object of interest in its natural environment
11,700 Free Photos from John Margolies’ Archive of Americana Architecture: Download, Use & Re-Mix
Many connoisseurs of architecture are enthralled by the modernist philosophy of Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, and I M Pei, who shared a belief that form follows function, or, as Wright had it, that form and function are one. Others of us delight in gas stations shaped like
Fernando Pessoa on Unselfing into Who You Really Are
“To be nobody-but-yourself — in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else — means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight,” E. E. Cummings wrote in his timeless summons for the courage to be yourself. But what does it really
How to Get Love Less Wrong: George Saunders on Breaking the Patterns that Break Our Hearts
"We want to believe that love is singular and exclusive, and it unnerves us to think that it might actually be renewable..."
Heard It Through the Grapevine
Marvin Gaye’s isolated vocals on I Heard It Through The Grapevine. The man has pipes. [This is a vintage post originally from Sep 2014.] Tags: Marvin Gaye · music · video
For Michael Asher, the Museum Was the Medium
A survey of the conceptual artist reveals his deep engagement with institutional machinations, though it sometimes feels like inside baseball.
Meet the Doyennes of Ecosexuality
In their latest film, Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens advocate replacing an exploitative relationship with the Earth with one based on intimacy, care, and pleasure.
Robert Eggers continues his run of One Word Title Films...
Robert Eggers continues his run of One Word Title Films Featuring Very Strange Men with Werwulf . I’m not a horror guy but I was pleasantly surprised by Nosferatu, which I quite liked.
‘They Celebrate Goals, We Count Martyrs’: Watching the World Cup in Gaza
"Palestinians are defying Israeli bombings and power outages to follow soccer’s biggest tournament. But many fear the world has abandoned them."
Mural Damaged in Break-In at Harriet Tubman Museum
The recently renovated Maryland museum also said its donation box was taken in last weekend’s burglary.
Connecticut’s Artists Have Been Hiding in Plain Sight
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum's inaugural decennial exhibition showcases works by 40 artists in the state, all made in the last decade.
Divine Sculptures Revere a Yorùbá Goddess in Nigeria’s Ọṣun-Òṣogbo Sacred Grove
A short documentary visits the sacred art environment in southwestern Nigeria. Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Divine Sculptures Revere a Yorùbá
Trump Dismantled a Federal Climate Website. These Women...
Trump Dismantled a Federal Climate Website. These Women Rebuilt It. “It’s not a pretty picture for climate communication and climate journalism right now.” You can check out the new site at climate.us .
Former High Museum Executive Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement
According to court filings, Brady Lum stole more than $600,000 from the Atlanta institution during his nearly seven-year tenure.
A short, hypnotic video by Matthew Wilcock of the music...
A short, hypnotic video by Matthew Wilcock of the music generated by a tennis rally at Wimbledon . “Duplicating the players and then using the rhythm of the multiple tennis balls as they cross the pink line to drive the rhythm of the piece.”
Contending With Fashion Photography's Artifice
Lillian Bassman spent decades crafting commercial images. After leaving the industry, she was finally free to experiment in the darkroom.
Swiss project proves the viability of solar panels...
Swiss project proves the viability of solar panels placed in the otherwise unused space between railroad tracks .
The Looting of Science Fiction
“Tech titans claim the genre inspired them. But all they’ve done is graft their politics onto stories of a better future.”
Why The Met Returned a Roman Bust
Erin Thompson on the convicted dealer behind many museum artifacts, an artist tattoos Arabic calligraphy, Peter Hujar’s contact sheets, and more.
Beautiful Hand-Drawn Guide to The Legend of Zelda
Philip Summers hand-draws game guides for old school video games . He’s done guides for games like Mega Man , Castlevania , Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES) , and Metroid . But my favorite one is The Legend of Zelda game guide because Zelda was (and still is, tbh) my
The LGBTQ+ Legislation Tracking Project , tracing &...
The LGBTQ+ Legislation Tracking Project , tracing & visualizing 10,350 LGBTQ+ bills introduced in the US since 2003. Anti-trans bills have dominated since ~2014.
‘Absurdist Basketmaker’ Lewis Prosser Weaves Contemporary Visions of Regional Heritage
The Cardiff-based artist taps into storytelling, masking traditions, and public ceremony and celebration. Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article
On the Britishisms & grammar imported into American...
On the Britishisms & grammar imported into American English during the World Cup . “That’s not a foul, just a coming together.”
Clipart Studio lets you cut up magazines sourced from...
Clipart Studio lets you cut up magazines sourced from the Internet Archive, images from Wikimedia Commons, & files you’ve uploaded, and create art collages from them. This is great — be sure to check out the gallery .
If Other Jobs Were Like a U.S. Senator’s . “You...
If Other Jobs Were Like a U.S. Senator’s . “You are at the dentist’s office. No one has seen or heard from the dentist in months, but he’s been making stock trades.”