Arts | Page 2 | The English Farm

Art crosses borders between people

By Di, August 29 2019

The California-based architects Virginia San Fratello and Ronald Rael have transformed a stretch of the border fence between Mexico and the U.S. into an international playground. The pair installed three hot pink seesaws between the slats of the fence where Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, abuts Sunland Park, New Mexico, allowing people on both sides of the increasingly militarized border to play together.

In an Instagram post, Rael said, “The wall became a literal fulcrum for U.S.-Mexico relations, and children and adults were connected in meaningful ways on both sides with the recognition that the actions that take place on one side have a direct consequence on the other side.” He added, “The joy that was shared this day on both sides is something that will stay with me forever.”

[See Ronald Rael's Instagram post here.]

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Two architects turned the U.S.-Mexico border fence into a playground with pink seesaws.

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Is art created by A.I. really art?

By James, June 27 2019

You've probably heard that automation is becoming commonplace in more and more fields of human endeavor. You may also have heard that the last bastions of human exclusivity will probably be creativity and artistic judgment. Robots will be washing our windows long before they start creating masterpieces. Right?

I visited Rutgers University's Art and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, where Ahmed Elgammal's team has created artificial-intelligence software that generates beautiful, original paintings.

I found these examples of robotically generated art to be polished and appealing. But something kept nagging at me: What happens in a world where effort and scarcity are no longer part of the definition of art?

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Is Art Created by AI Really Art?

Hip-hop and anime

By Di, April 22 2019

Takashi Murakami's work on Billie Eilish's new video for "You Should See Me in a Crown" is the latest example of Western music's ongoing love affair with Japanese anime. It’s also exciting to see the art form embraced by Lil Uzi Vert, Soulja Boy and so many other artists in the world of hip-hop.

A recent uptick in anime-charged prose has seen mentions of mainstream fan favorites such as “Dragonball Z” and “Naruto,” and more obscure series like “Berserk” and “Lupin the Third.” These examples barely scratch the surface when it comes to the abundance of spoken anime references in hip-hop and R&B. What gets fans of both anime and hip-hop hyped up is when the two fields collide visually.

The 2018 Report on the Japanese Anime Industry recorded an increase in the market value of anime's overseas market by 29.6 percent from 2016 to 2017. Anime might be Japan's most valuable soft-power weapon—even more than sushi.

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Hip-hop's anime crush is beautiful

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The importance of liberal arts

By Di, November 13 2018

In 2008, research teams at Duke and Harvard surveyed 652 U.S.-born chief executives and heads of product engineering at 502 technology companies. They learned that, although a degree made a big difference in the success of an entrepreneur, the field it was in and the school that it was from were not significant. YouTube chief executive Susan Wojcicki, for instance, majored in history and literature; Slack founder Stewart Butterfield in English; Airbnb founder Brian Chesky in the fine arts. And, in China, Alibaba chief executive Jack Ma has a bachelor’s in English.

The key to good design is a combination of empathy and knowledge of the arts and humanities. Musicians and artists inherently have the greatest sense of creativity. You can teach artists how to use software and graphics tools; turning engineers into artists is anther story.

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Why liberal arts and the humanities are as important as engineering

Walmart Rakuten e-book partnership

By Betty, March 26 2018

Walmart is taking aim at Amazon's Kindle business and diving into the business of selling e-readers, e-books, and audiobooks through a partnership with Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten.

As part of the deal, Walmart will start selling Aura-branded e-readers made by Kobo, a division of Rakuten, in stores and online at Walmart.com. Kobo is one of Amazon Kindle's biggest competitors.

Walmart will also offer customers access to Kobo's vast library of nearly six million titles from more than 30,000 publishers, Michael Tamblyn, CEO of Rakuten Kobo, told Business Insider.

Customers will be able to access the e-books and audiobooks through a co-branded Walmart-Kobo app that will be available on smartphones, desktop computers, and Kobo's e-readers.

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Walmart is teaming up with one of the world's biggest e-commerce companies to take direct aim at Amazon

A classical commute

By Di, February 22 2018

Tokyo's subway system has begun experimenting with playing classical background music on its trains to provide a more comfortable travel experience.

Tokyo Metro Company began the trial on January 29, 2018, in selected trains between Naka-meguro and Kita-senju stations on the Hibiya Line. Music pieces such as Debussy's ‘Clair de Lune’ and Chopin's nocturnes are being heard between 10 AM and around 2 PM. The volume is set lower than train announcements.

The idea emerged after the company mistakenly played classical music used for pre-operation checks on a regular train last July. Word spread on social media, and passengers responded online saying they enjoyed the unexpected music.

A 23-year-old passenger said he noticed the music sometime after he got on the train, and that it was soothing. The company plans to examine whether it will formally introduce the music service, and how to determine the time slot, volume, and types of music.

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Classical background music on Tokyo Metro

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