Witch: a tag that shapes social networks
A novel study in rural China suggests that witchcraft accusations may have arisen as a means of damaging female competitors - by Aeon Video Watch at Aeon
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The Most Infamous Cop in New Orleans History
In 1994, a corrupt cop ordered a hit on a civilian. He went away for murder, but he left a trail of other victims in his wake. They are still crying out for justice.
India and indigeneity
In a country of such extraordinary diversity, the UN definition of ‘indigenous’ does little more than fuel ethnic violence - by Dikshit Sarma Bhagabati Read at Aeon
RIP Paul Auster: Hear the Master of the Postmodern Page-Turner Discuss How He Became a Writer
In the Louisiana Channel interview clip from 2017 above, the late Paul Auster tells the story of how he became a writer. Its first episode had appeared more than twenty years earlier, in a New Yorker piece titled “Why Write?”: “I was eight years old. At that moment in my life,
Comfort and convenience
For the last thirty years, the easiest shortcut has been convenience. If a marketer or a politician or an institution wants to gain acceptance, make it convenient. Tim Wu has pointed out that we’ll trade almost anything to save a few moments of hassle or thought. But that
Artist Draws 9 Portraits on LSD During 1950s Research Experiment
During the 1950s, a researcher gave an artist two 50-microgram doses of LSD (each dose separated by about an hour), and then the artist was encouraged to draw pictures of the doctor who administered the drugs. Nine portraits were drawn over the space of eight hours. We still
Loving Him Meant Facing My Greatest Fear
"Living with a disability, I shielded myself from dance. Then I met him."
8 Art Shows to See in New York City This May
Vibrant colors and fantastical creatures are in abundance in shows by Sanam Khatibi, Julia Bland, Claude Lawrence, Annette Wehrhahn, and others.
The Man Who Turned His Home into a Homeless Shelter
"[S]ince 2020 he has offered hundreds of homeless people a bed in his small flat – and for many of them, it has been life-changing."
A March Across Manhattan’s Student Encampments
“I think the power of the artist — the student artist — is to envision a new world and actually embody it," said a Parsons sophomore.
Who Is the Cartoon Child Seen on Palestinian Protest Signs?
Created in 1969 by late political cartoonist Naji al-Ali, the figure known as Handala has long symbolized Palestinian identity and resilience.
Across LA Schools, Art Students and Faculty Rally for Palestine
Amid aggressive escalations at UCLA and arrests at USC, protesters are invoking the artistic legacy of radical activism.
Artifacts Looted 80 Years Ago Repatriated to Okinawa
The scrolls, pottery, and a 19th-century hand-drawn map were presumably looted from the Japanese island in the final days of World War II.
A New Keith Haring Biography Leaves Out Half the Story
Radiant is a bountiful source of information about the late queer artist’s life and career, but it says oddly little about his art and its enduring legacy.
Opportunities in May 2024
Residencies, grants, open calls, and jobs from The Bennett Prize, Ucross, Oak Spring Garden Foundation, and more in our monthly list of opportunities for artists, writers, and art workers.
Xiyadie’s Papercut Love Letters
Butterfly Dream speaks eloquently of the artist’s loves and losses, his public burdens and private desires.
Isabel Quintanilla’s Dreamy Realism
The same small Duralex glass cup appears repeatedly in the artist’s sparse and intimate still lifes, evincing her uncanny ability to capture light.
The World Central Kitchen Cookbook by José Andrés was just announced as...
The World Central Kitchen Cookbook by José Andrés was just announced as a finalist for a James Beard Award . WCK resumed their work in Gaza yesterday, serving 200,000 meals to displaced Palestinians .
Bubblegum Aliens
These bubblegum sculptures created and photographed by artist Suzanne Saroff are delightfully disgusting . I found this via Grace Ebert at Colossal , who writes: Conjuring memories of childhood competitions and absent-minded chomping, the photos zoom in on chewed wads of
Salman Rushdie: “The world has abandoned realism”
“'Words are the only victors,' Rushdie wrote in his last novel, 'Victory City.'"
The Vatican’s Secret Role in the Science of IVF
"More than half a century ago, men of science and men of faith gathered together to unlock the mysteries of female fertility. The answer: urine from the brides of Christ. And lo, those nuns gaveth."
SMFA at Tufts University Presents Pulling Teeth and Jumping Rope
Work by graduate artists of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University is on view May 6–19 in Massachusetts.
Petrit Halilaj’s Scratchy Doodles Grapple with Childhood Innocence on The Met Rooftop
When visiting his hometown of Runik, Kosovo, back in 2010, Petrit Halilaj realized that his elementary school was being demolished. He went to the site—which had miraculously survived the Yugoslav wars that spurred his family to flee to an Albanian refugee camp in 1998—and
Great piece on the existential threat faced by TV & film writers....
Great piece on the existential threat faced by TV & film writers . It’s a familiar story: low interest rates, private equity, execs squeezing workers. “The general sense is that you’re an absolutely fungible widget… It is fucking broken.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
“What they are afraid of grows even as they starve it, which...
“ What they are afraid of grows even as they starve it , which is why these people, with all their power, are always so insecure. They know how bad it would be for them to be seen clearly; they are fucking terrified of being treated as they treat others.”
PLEASE STOP EMAILING US HARRIET. The internet is still good, people are...
PLEASE STOP EMAILING US HARRIET . The internet is still good, people are still good. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
Love this: a grid-based CSS solution for displaying sheet music (staffs, notes,...
Love this: a grid-based CSS solution for displaying sheet music (staffs, notes, clefs, time signatures, etc.) 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
May 2024 Opportunities: Open Calls, Residencies, and Grants for Artists
Every month, Colossal shares a selection of opportunities for artists and designers, including open calls, grants, fellowships, and residencies. If you’d like to list an opportunity here, please get in touch at hello@colossal.art . You can also join our monthly Opportunities
Electronic Plastic
Oh wow, this takes me right back to my childhood: Electronic Plastic , a museum of portable, old-school electronic toys. We didn’t have a gaming system in my house growing up — I had to settle going over to my friend Steve’s house for Atari 2600 and my big city cousins’
Gen X and millennials who have been posting selfies on social media...
Gen X and millennials who have been posting selfies on social media for more than a decade are “watching [their] identities shift in real time in a way no previous generation has experienced en masse” . 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
The James Webb Space Telescope Reveals Details of the Horsehead Nebula in Unprecedented Resolution
Focused on the part of the sky where you can spot the constellation Orion (“The Hunter”) on clear nights, the James Webb Space Telescope ’s latest dispatch blinks in astonishing images from an area known as the Orion B molecular cloud. At 1,300 light-years away—more than 7.8