Performance/Beauty/Equilibrium

I wanted to add to the discussion taking place on the comments thread of the previous posting. The subject of beauty came up -- so I begin this with a personal favorite painting, Joachem Wtewael Perseus and Andromeda, dated from 1611. The painting is in The Louvre, and last time I was there I stood for probably most of the morning staring at the figure of the woman. She seems more modern to me. Maybe late 18th century, or 19th century. She seems both a goddess and a cute barmaid. I've wanted to run away with her for thirty years...since I first saw this painting. Why does she look more modern? Well, I think its the mouth, the slightly proletarian features, the long waist and just slightly … [Read more...]

A Short Exegesis on Performance and The Uncanny

As is often the case, I find a number of unrelated, or semi-unrelated topics, somehow converging ...at least in my brain. Acting is complex discussion, and it is so mediated by the same economic forces driving studio film and TV, a rather obvious observation I grant you, that any analysis is going to run up against factors of commodification and marketing. That all said, one of the things I've noticed is that the criteria for "good" has shifted. It may or may not be useful to trace back the cross pollinating of Actor's Studio, RADA, The Group Theatre, The Mercury Theatre, and on to the increasingly influential Drama Center of London. However, I do think it's useful to look at some of … [Read more...]

Amnesia, Elections, and Narrative

The intersection of art and politics is one of the topics of this blog. And one way in which to approach the topic....which is obvious....is to explore the master narratives and the master discourse, as its constantly being recreated and reproduced by the culture industry and by (especially) the US state department. An obvious example of political theatre is the US presidential election campaigns. There is a jaw dropping mind numbing hypocricy at work with a majority of the US public. It's hard to know how many, and I can only point to my own experiences, really, and also to sort of project out from the tiny amount of real surveying that has gone on regards this. It's easy to forget that … [Read more...]

Dialogue #5/ with Molly Klein

Weeds Who Gets To Fuck Nancy? … [Read more...]

Kevlar Killers

There is a aura of fear that the poor feel around cops. In the United States, anyway. And if you're black, all the worse. The other day, Darrius Kennedy was shot point blank just off Times Square in New York. Kennedy allegedly had a knife. There were ten uniformed and armed policemen. None had tasers. All had guns. And they shot Kennedy, point blank, twelve times. Considering that I could have probably disarmed Mr Kennedy, one does wonder why he has shot in the street like a rabid dog. But I can find you more... 20 year old Deshone Travis By: JOANN MERRIGAN | WSAV News 3 Published: June 27, 2012 » 8 Comments | Post a Comment (Savannah, GA) Robert Travis doesn't … [Read more...]

Dots

Random notes. Gene Sperling, who is Director of the National Economic Council, was also technical advisor for West Wing. He attended the Wharton School of Business, U. of Penn. Andy Stern, former head of the 2.2 million member large Service Employees International Union, also attended the Wharton School of Business, U. of Penn. Andy visited the Obama whitehouse 53 times since inauguration. Erskine Bowles was appointed, in 2010, as co-chair of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (with Alan K. Simpson). Previously, Bowles had been Bill Clinton's White House Chief of Staff. He also sits on the board of directors for General Motors, and Morgan Stanley. Oh, he … [Read more...]

Dialogue #4 / with Guy Zimmerman

praise http://john-steppling.com/dialogue-4-with-guy-zimmerman-praise/ … [Read more...]

A Brief Interlude on Being Reasonable.

Conditioning is hugely important. I've long noted just how deeply desirous of consensus the US populace is -- though this is true in Europe as well, but not to the degree one finds it in the US. The most egregious naked state theft or deceit will be discussed...certainly on corporate media outlets ... as if it WASN'T naked theft. This starts at the very top and trickles down to the basest most mundane levels. Iran Contra is to this day spoken of as a small indiscretion. Enron is an amusing bit of corporate shenanegans. Obama can lie, as Bush lied, and can stage manage his tiny paltry gifts to the liberal class, all the while bombing the poor and invading and stealing and signing away, … [Read more...]