By Chloe Elder In 21st-century society, the onetime symbol of Paris, the flâneur, is nearly extinct. In its native city, the numbers are dangerously low. Conservation efforts have done little to protect those who remain in the wild and all attempts to breed in captivity have been futile. And awkward. The flâneur is one who strolls, wanders, and traverses the city streets … [Read more...]
Sundays: Lost in the bewilderness
By Myles Ludwig Picture this. A giant grasping hand, a hand big enough and powerful enough to punch an IMAX Godzilla in the snout, suddenly plunges through the accumulated cumulus clouds — the Google Cloud, the Microsoft cloud, the Amazon cloud — flicks aside the jet drones of Google, Amazon and Facebook, swipes aside WhatsApp, etc., snatches ups the shattered pieces of the … [Read more...]
Sundays: The medium is the memory hole
By Myles Ludwig I was busy searching for the plane this week. I looked in the clouds of Google and Microsoft, but they were obscured by bad weather and massive hacker attacks. Nearly lost my identity. I sifted through the wreckage of the Washington state mudslide, pushed aside the giant snowballs of the Mt. Everest avalanche hoping for a sign, and stalked the rubble of the … [Read more...]
Pompano’s Bailey Contemporary Arts offers first look
In its cultural arts master plan, the Pompano Beach Community Redevelopment Authority (CRA) writes: “Something wonderful is about to happen.” The something they had in mind – a cultural arts district and destination in a formerly underused area of east Atlantic Avenue — kicked off its soft opening tonight with ArtHall, a monthly art exhibit, and a street party with live music … [Read more...]
Sundays: Being and un-being
By Myles Ludwig The untimely passing of Peaches Geldof was the big news in Britain this week. It was the top-trending topic on the staid BBC and banner fodder for the tabloid-obsessed country in which Murdochian journalism has ensnared its own perpetrator in a messy matrimonial scandal. You may be forgiven for not knowing that Ms. Geldof was one of the three whimsically named … [Read more...]
Sundays: Age appropriate
By Myles Ludwig I’m on the verge of slinking past 70. And puzzled. I know life is different for me, but aside from the residual effects of certain old wounds I feel when I get out of bed in the morning, I’m not really sure how. Or even if I’m supposed to be sure. I know I passed one big speed bump a couple of years ago and now I’m driving cautiously through a leafy … [Read more...]
Sundays: Looking for answers
By Myles Ludwig We seem to be sloshing through a media debris field. The globalization of media, the diversity of delivery platforms and their consequent overarching narratives of mystery, fear and grief involve us all within reach in news stories that seem so close, yet are so far. Those of us not directly affected by catastrophic events are nevertheless drawn into the … [Read more...]
Sundays: Grow some foot of your own
By Myles Ludwig A chameleon can re-grow a lost arm, so why can’t you? Maybe you can. That’s the premise and the promise of regenerative medicine being explored with academic enthusiasm in the Wake Forest University’s Medical School lab in North Carolina by the pioneering surgeon and researcher Dr. Antony Atala. Rhode-Island based artist Kelly Milukas was commissioned to … [Read more...]
Organizers happy about 2014 Boca Fest outcome
By Dale King Festival of the Arts Boca 2014 has been relegated to the history books. But organizers are happy with the memories. The festival’s website is filled with comments about the 10-day event that marked its eighth annual incarnation this year, taking place in Boca Raton’s Mizner Park Amphitheater and at the Cultural Arts Center. Perhaps the most striking website … [Read more...]
Sundays: Ghost ship
By Myles Ludwig I have to tread lightly here. I do not want to add to the anguish. Or the hysteria. But I feel as though I have been assaulted by TV news this week, CNN in particular. On the one hand, the geopolitical issue of Crimea has been positioned as a scary game of brinkmanship reminiscent of the post-WWII confrontation between the U.S. and Russia in Berlin which led … [Read more...]