Quoted: Every art institution, major theatre and cultural location has some kind of membership scheme that they enthusiastically flog. Although these things are a nice act of cultural charity, as well as ideal gifts from grandparents, are they worth the money - and what do they actually offer?

Quoted: Art moves in mysterious ways and no government initiative, no matter how well-intentioned, can kick-start a new Renaissance

lol

Quoted: AUDC’s first book captures three moments in modern culture that offer glimpses into our increasingly perverse relationship to architecture, cities, and objects.

just got this from amazon, can't wait to read it tomorrow! ^_^

Quoted: On waiting and killing time: doing hanging around is a paper by Mark Perry... ...explores what he calls “the reality of waiting” and inevitably, this lead to the concept of “dead time” that lots of tech designers try to fill in with crazy technologies; based on the assumption that dead moment needed to be filled

great paper. short read as well~

back to back reading with benjamin's essay.

Quoted: A chapter from Adorno and Horkheimer's Dialectic of Enlightenment on mass-production of culture

Quoted: OK is a shop on Berlin's fashionable Alte Schönhauser Straße which sells cheap but carefully-selected 3rd world goods -- "objects of everyday’s life are presented which might not compete with common german product quality standards, but which fascinate by means of design and creativity," says the shop's website. "Whether handcrafted or industrially mass produced, all items are originally produced for their local markets. None of the producers intended to export these goods to the West".

great article about why we should teach art at school.

Quoted: What we found in our analysis should worry parents and teachers facing cutbacks in school arts programs. While students in art classes learn techniques specific to art, such as how to draw, how to mix paint, or how to center a pot, they're also taught a remarkable array of mental habits not emphasized elsewhere in school. Such skills include visual-spatial abilities, reflection, self-criticism, and the willingness to experiment and learn from mistakes. All are important to numerous careers, but are widely ignored by today's standardized tests.

Quoted: Stretched type, day-glo colours and a flagrant disregard for the rules: are we witnessing a knee-jerk reaction to the slick sameness of so much design or a genuine cultural shift?