Khipus, the portable information archives created by the Inca, may stir up memories of 1970s macrame with their long strands of intricately knotted, earth-toned fibers, but their function more closely resembled that of a densely plotted computerized spreadsheet. As Cecilia
In this edition: Bezos, paper, scissors; feast or famine; one reason to stay here; any way you slice it; the real Winter Olympics, and more.
“The three volumes of Green’s Dictionary of Slang demonstrate the sheer scope of a lifetime of research by Jonathon Green, the leading slang lexicographer of our time. A remarkable collection of this often reviled but endlessly fascinating area of the English language, it
I’ve always said more popstars should duet with puppets, so Sabrina Carpenter and Kermit the Frog singing Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton’s ‘Island in a Stream’ as part of The Muppet Show’s latest special is perfect (to me). 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
How do we empower arts leaders to reject funding from corrupt individuals in favor of donors who have proven themselves to be civic leaders?
The London curator is tapped to curate the SITE biennial, Mnuchin Gallery closes, a buyer spends big money on a tiny Michelangelo foot drawing, and other industry news.
Economist Thomas Piketty, writing for Le Monde ( archive ) on the success of Europe’s social democratic model and countering “the narrative of a ‘declining’ continent”: If someone had told the European elites and liberal economists of 1914 that wealth redistribution would one
Professor Walt Hunter on the merits of challenging students: Stop Meeting Students Where They Are . “Whole novels aren’t possible to teach, we are told, because students won’t (or can’t) read them. So why assign them?” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
“Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy” (c. 1625) is the first work by the Italian Baroque artist to enter the institution’s collection.
This week: the art of writing love letters, Black-owned bookstores across history, poets on the Parthenon Marbles, opening a 1926 time capsule, and more.
“We love that we’re able to make art as queer artists inside a church.”
The Mountain That Weighed the Earth . How scientists in 1774 used a Scottish mountain to estimate the mass of the Earth to within 20% of the modern number by measuring the mountain’s gravitational effect on a precision plumb line. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
In addition to his great series Subway Takes , Kareem Rahma does another series called Keep the Meter Running where he hops into NYC cabs, interviews the drivers, and asks them to take him to their favorite places. In the run-up to the NYC mayoral election last year, Rahma
Some cool animations made from Japanese receipts by Michele Merlo . 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
"At 25, I saw my grandfather’s ghost. At 52, I think of what it may mean to be a ghost."
ICA SF situates Donovan's towering sculptures amid a skyscraper's modernist glass gallery. 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 Tara Donovan’s
This is awesome and clever. Minneapolis designer Abby Haddican has made a typeface called Times New Resistance . The letters are identical to Times New Roman (and it even appears as such in font menus, except there’s “an extra space between the words Times and New”) but when
The entire team of in-house photojournalists was also cut, as were multiple critics and editors across the Bezos-owned paper’s culture section.
10 Movies to Stream for Black History Month , from The Flying Ace (1926) to Killer of Sheep (1978) to Moonlight (2016). 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
The trailblazing sculptural practice of Edmonia Lewis, the birth of modernism in Montmartre, the luminous paintings of Kaylene Whiskey, and Gainsborough’s alluring fashion portraits are among our favorite reads this month.
Hour-long YouTube training session on how to observe & record ICE/CBP . “This call will give you the tools to exercise your rights in a moment when federal agents are terrorizing our communities and using excessive force.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
The program has awarded more than $17.5 million to US visual arts organizations pursuing energy efficiency assessments and projects.
I don’t normally say this, but if you watch one thing on kottke.org today, this week, this month, make it this speech written by Shakespeare and performed by Sir Ian McKellen on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The segment starts at ~20:00; McKellen sets it up: It’s all
"Today’s layoffs are the latest attempt to kill what makes the paper special."
An exhibition at the Musée du Luxembourg surveys the artist's eight-decade career. 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 A Major Survey in Paris
Rising far above the desert, the walls of these magnificent hills carry the ancient story of humanity’s creative spark - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
New horrific allegations against the museum trustee, artists push against ICE, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art says goodbye to "PhAM."
In Japanese philosophy, unlike the atomised Western self, we are ‘ningen’ (人間), each enmeshed with other humans and nature - by Takeshi Morisato Read on Aeon