The importance of “emptiness” in art (and music)

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I just listened to Lang Lang playing Robert Schumann, Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood), Op. 15: No. 7, Träumerei (Daydream) (listen to an excerpt, below) and I was amazed of the expressive power of the pauses in the score, extended beautifully and sensitively by Lang Lang. It made me think of the art of Vermeer. Why … Read more

Constructed languages (not just Esperanto)

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If you have heard of Esperanto (and there are many who haven’t) you might be surprised to learn that it is only the most successful of literally hundreds of constructed languages (“conlangs”), going back to the 17th century (or even the 12th century, if you include the private language of Saint Hildegard of Bingen). A … Read more

Dankon Esperanto!

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Here’s a cute little video about Esperanto and art. (Thank you, Alessandro Soranzo.) Esperanto: Jen beleta malgranda filmo pri Esperanto kaj arto. (Dankon, Alessandro Soranzo.)

Art and the voodoo paradox

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Someone looks at an abstract painting. What does he or she ask? Probably “What is it?” or “What does it mean?”. The answer, “It’s only a picture, only a surface covered with paint,” will in no way satisfy. It is impossible to eliminate the belief, even a hundred years after the birth of abstract art, … Read more

China’s first Esperanto museum opens

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Originally published on English.news.cn 2013-11-18 17:55:49 JINAN, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) – China’s first Esperanto museum has officially opened after more than two years of construction to promote the “universal language”. The Esperanto Museum, at Zaozhuang University in the Shandong Province of eastern China, opened on Saturday after accepting more than 7,000 visitors during a trial … Read more

All art has purpose. Good art transcends its purpose.

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In an article, How Christianity can help us recover the usefulness of art, Alain De Botton laments the ‘veneration of ambiguity’ in art today. According to him, the art world doesn’t like the idea that art could have a purpose outside of itself. ‘Christianity, by contrast,’ he claims, ‘never leaves us in any doubt about what … Read more

Making web menu labels more effective

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Look at the main menu of your website & test the menu labels against these 5 criteria: Accurate: Are they true to the content? Concise: Do they contain just enough words and no more? Familiar: Do they use meaningful words to describe options, not requiring users to already know what’s available? Comprehensive: Do they adequately … Read more

Esperanto, the forgotten language?

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“Every summer, Château Gresillon [in France] is full of families enjoying the French countryside – but it’s quite unlike any other château: it’s Esperanto-land. It was bought by a handful of Esperantists back in the 1950s, and has been hosting speakers of the obscure universal language ever since.” A video by the global news agency, … Read more