Monthly Archives: November 2010
Neoliberalism and the War on the Arts
‘Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire’ — W.B. Yeats. Over the last few years, the Arts at Canterbury University–and at Universities around the country–have been increasingly under threat. Funding is constantly reducing, … Continue reading
Filed under Culture and Society, University of Canterbury
Art (non)reviews: The Learned Skill of Saying Nothing
It’s a well-known joke in University English Departments that about half of the staff secretly want to be novelists, poets or playwrights. The other half want to be actors. This joke, like the best of them, contains a grain of … Continue reading
Filed under Arts
An Artist’s Corpus: Ron Mueck’s Body of Work
[Image 1: Man in Boat (2002). Image 2: Drift (2009). Ron Mueck.] A review by MBW. ‘Ron Mueck’ Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna O Waiwhetu 2 October 2010 – 23 January 2011 Exhibition Review Cycling through Christchurch’s city centre in … Continue reading
Filed under Arts
Short Story: ‘A New World’
A short story for the long weekend: ‘A New World’, by regular contributor CJH. This is the first creative work featured on this blog, but we hope that such works will become a more regular feature. Enjoy this excellent story. … Continue reading
Filed under Fiction
New Zealand’s Next Top Muddle
Serious criticism of pop-culture has always made me cringe, even if just a little. Feminist readings of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (she’s so empowered!) or of Twilight (Bella’s so disempowered!) have never really excited me. There’s a curmudgeonly high culturalist … Continue reading
Filed under Culture and Society, TV Review
