History Schmistory: February 11. Science fiction meets Television, and the “robot”.
Saturday, February 11, 2023
1938: BBC Television produces the world’s first ever science fiction television program, an adaptation of the Karel Capek play R.U.R., (Rossum’s Universal Robots.) The play, first produced in Prague in 1921, introduced the term “robot” to the English language and to science fiction as a whole. The adaptation begins in Rossum’s humanoid factory, where subservient machines called robots are built. These popular robots were so incredibly lifelike and efficient, able to think comprehensively and make their own decisions, that they were often mistaken for humans. Of course, the robots at this point have begun to rebel against their owners and by the end they wipe out the entire human race.
-Oh yeah, spoiler alert! Pretty sure you saw that coming, though.
Well, R.U.R. is really where it all started!
Are you for real?
Thursday, October 27, 2022
http://kslx.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/VILLAFANE6.jpg
Ray Villafane is not your mamma’s pumpkin carver (who is most likely you.) This sculptor used two giant 1600+ lbs pumpkins to make this zombie themed carving, the largest in the world.
GO THERE! Hang with puppets!
Tuesday, September 13, 2022
The World Puppetry Festival in the French Ardennes starts Friday, September 16th. Go there and bring us some souvenirs!
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Swanage_Punch_%26_Judy.JPG
History Schmistory, June 13: Act One For Adriana.
Monday, June 13, 2022
1655Â –Â Adriana Nooseman-van de Bergh became the 1st actress in Amsterdam theater. That diva was never late for dress rehearsal!
You're nailing the happy/sad bipolar thing.
Culture Buzz: Shadows of their former selves…
Sunday, January 30, 2022
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/Wayang_%28shadow_puppets%29_from_central_Java%2C_a_scene_from_%27Irawan%27s_Wedding%27.jpg
These aren’t your mamma’s shadow puppets! Unless your mamma is a Javanese puppet master. The incredibly detailed puppets of Wayang Kulit, the ancient Indonesian brand of shadow theater, continue to enchant audiences to this day, bringing to life the magical stories of Hindu-Javanese folklore on a simple backlit cotton screen. Kulit means skin, and refers to the buffalo leather construction of the puppets that are painstakingly chiseled with very fine tools and supported with carefully shaped buffalo horn handles and control rods.
Got a sheet, a bright light and a buffalo? Then, by all means, TRY THIS AT HOME!
-Maybe use construction paper though 🙂
GO THERE! Scandinavian Subterranean Art!
Thursday, January 20, 2022
Warning: If you take a trip to Stockholm, you may never leave the subway. It is, after all, the longest art exhibit in the world…
History Schmistory: January 17. Toot-Toot!
Monday, January 17, 2022
1929: Popeye the Sailor Man, a cartoon character created by Elzie Segar, first appears in the Thimble Theatre comic strip. Deluded children begin eating spinach with the hopes of growing freakishly large forearms.
GO THERE! A panoramic view of the past…
Saturday, January 15, 2022
Ever wonder what it’s like to live in ancient times? Well, artist Yadegar Asisi’s fantastically intricate panoramic displays are so massive, they might make you feel a little like that guy from Assassin’s Creed. His most recent project, on display at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, takes us back to the ancient city’s heyday, 129 AD.
By asisi GmbH (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
GO THERE! Great art in Florence: FREE
Tuesday, September 22, 2020
Our two favorite things: Florence and FREE! Great tips on free art you can see in Florence. Now’s a great time to go. Heck with the kids. How many soccer games can a parent see? Leave ’em with Grandma and head East to the Old Country while the tourists are few and the gustatory pleasures are many!
photo: BBC
