Stories & Strategies
Battle at Kruger is an 8 minute 24 second long YouTube video with 80,156,648 views. Perhaps one of those views is yours. About 6 or 7 of them are mine, having watched it repeatedly with various friends and family members over the years. Battle at Kruger is one of the most extraordinary nature videos you... Continue Reading →
On April 5th, the great American musician and poet Cecil Taylor passed away at the age of 89. An appropriate lifespan, perhaps, for the legendary free jazz pianist, so willing to push the boundaries of his instrument's 88 keys. During his long and rich life spent trespassing on the outermost frontiers of coherence and... Continue Reading →
I have posted previously about the extraordinary Netflix action drama that is Sense8, the thrilling, sexy and profound show by Lana and Lily Wachoswski that wrapped recently with a 2 and a half hour series finale. I have in those posts also noted the timidity, prudishness and arrogance of critics who responded to this artful... Continue Reading →
You wouldn't think it possible, really. That in this day and age the world's largest jazz festival would commission a white theatre director to create SLĀV, a major dramatic work based on African American slave songs starring a white singer and featuring a predominantly white cast. And yet, as anyone following the cultural news knows,... Continue Reading →
Last night I attended an excellent event put on by the Public Policy Forum called Social Media and Democracy: What Can Be Done? at which no less than 5 smart and highly informed guest speakers from journalism, government, academia, civil society and the tech sector discussed the state of the internet and the threat of 'surveillance... Continue Reading →
Last week I learned the awful news that my publisher and friend, Sheila Barry, recently passed away. Across Canada there are dozens if not hundreds of authors who share my sorrow at her passing, for she was a central figure in Canadian publishing, responsible for the publication of scores of extremely popular children's books, first... Continue Reading →
Last night Annie and I attended the opening of the Biennale. Its distinguishing conceit is that the work on display represents a selection of recent (2014-17) acquisitions by the National Gallery. So, not a truly contemporary biennale, but for all that a powerful one, featuring some exciting and intriguing artworks. The best work is –... Continue Reading →
Did you know that over the next 4 years 88 million new federal dollars will be granted to Canadian arts organizations to develop and implement digital strategies? In fact, the Canada Council just announced that the deadline for its 2017-18 Digital Strategy Fund will be October 25, 2017. Are you ready? For theatres, galleries, publishers, performers... Continue Reading →
The Canada Council for the Arts recently published additional information about its new Digital Strategy Fund, which will grant $88.5m to Canadian artists and arts organizations over the next 4 years. This blog post is an introduction to that fund and what it could mean to you as an artist or arts professional. Disclaimer: although... Continue Reading →
Earlier this year I came across a bold and inspiring new challenge called the Nine Dots Prize, which invited submissions to this important question: Are digital technologies making politics impossible? There were 700 entries and I did not win, but I am publishing my essay anyway because I think (hope!) it will matter to you.... Continue Reading →
John Sobol 