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Posted July 22, 2011 by Burr Anderson:
Strohl Gallery Cleaves Itself
By day, what we can term Strohl I presents itself as a showplace for
contemporary art, almost all of which is (as in the case of most such
facilities) inside the gallery.
But in the darkness of night Strohl I ceases to be, and those who go near
this location see vertical, multicolored lighting running up and down the
columns of the building’s porch. This is Strohl II, a light display center.
Night time at Chautauqua, perhaps more than when the sun is up and around,
possesses its own romantic harmony and subtlety. There is a magic flowing
back and forth between lake and the trees and the streets at night, and this
charm ranges from big (the Amphitheater’s multitude of bulbs) to restrained
(the punctuation of the Bell Tower clock with lights). It is easy to be
captivated.
Recent additions to the nocturnal Grounds leave us with various degrees of
frustration, e.g., the excessive illumination over the renovated restrooms
behind the library. The creation of Strohl II is another misstep in this
direction. If the current trend is to create a new “brand” for the
Institution, someone needs to define more clearly what this new brand will
be. If Strohl is supposed to be an art gallery, then the statement it wants
to make should emanate from the interior. Otherwise we will have a second
message that says not “pay attention to me” but instead “PAY ATTENTION TO
ME!”
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Posted May 27, 2011 by Burr Anderson:
TIMES FOR TUNES:
How long is that concerto?
The Institution webpage for the symphony concerts now gives the length in
minutes of each piece that is to be performed during the season.
http://www.ciweb.org/symphony-2011-schedule/
Putting aside the need for notice that these are approximations (what if the
orchestra runs over the 9 minutes?), this is a new perspective on the
Amphitheater experience. In fact, it bodes ill, or well, for the Chautauqua
Experience in general. Shall we quantify each element of the Chautauqua
Experience in minutes or other temporal units?
Consider:
Brickwalk: 14 minutes walk time
Sunday Interdenominational service: 61 minutes