Archive for October, 2010
Potential Vultures of Culture
As you have probably heard by now, I’m hoping to start a sort of special-interest blog by the end of the year. I don’t think I could manage it by myself, so I’m looking for other bloggers. In the next few paragraphs, I’m going to try to explain what it’s all about and maybe, by some tremendous stroke of luck, you may turn out to be the collaborator I’m looking for, or you might have a friend to recommend. Who knows. Here goes.
What is it?
It’s going to be a culture/arts blog, with (I imagine) an esoteric collection of areas of interest. I’m thinking in fairly broad terms right now, such as literature, film, music, and so on. More on this in the following section. I don’t think there will be a Singaporean focus but the Singaporean arts and culture news will probably filter in more frequently as a matter of course, if that makes sense.
I haven’t planned the feature list, but I imagine that it’ll have news on various things, certain running features, maybe a column or two, and possibly reviews/opinions and the like. Think of blogs like the one run by the excellent folks at The Paris Review. Nothing has been set in stone, and in fact, I’m mostly waiting to see if I can get anyone onboard first before we decide on anything concrete. I hope to get it up and running by the end of the year, say, about the Christmas period. Some preparation and planning will take place before that of course.
The blog will be in English for a start, though who knows where it will go in the future.
What I bring to this
The fancy-schmancy image you see at the top of this post was made partly with this blog in mind. (It’s still a work-in-progress.) I put it up here because it’s convenient. It shows you some of the things I’m interested in and some of the things I’m eager to bring to this blog. You’ll find that my main interests are in music, literature, continental philosophy, and film. I also have somewhat lesser interests in photography, design, and fine art. It’s areas such as these that I think about when I say “culture/arts” blog.
I’ve been blogging for a little while (I think about five to six years), personally more than professionally, but I guess there is something to be said in the way of experience. At least I know how these things work to some extent. I’m also a writer (still to be published) and an amateur literary critic.
Who I’m looking for
I’m looking for about 2 to 4 collaborators (3 to 5 people in total, then) with a (to use a quite business-like term) passion for arts and culture, and can contribute something to this endeavour. I’m keeping an eye out for somewhat compatible interests. That is to say, I’m not looking for someone who likes the same things (what would be the point in that?), but rather someone who can contribute something to this without making the blog look like it has schizophrenia. Ultimately, as esoteric or eclectic as our collection of interests may be, I think there must be a consistent sense of identity to the blog.
Things that might be helpful to observe include: there are many areas that I’d like to cover but just don’t have the expertise to, including dance and children’s literature; it doesn’t matter if some of our interests overlap; blogging and writing (especially writing) experience is helpful; and a sense of humour certainly helps.
Benefits, commitment, etc.
Benefits… Well, none, actually. Nothing material. I can’t pay you anything, and there is foreseeably nothing in the way of any other material benefits. We will be doing this just for the love of it. It’s really a sort of personal undertaking that will probably be paid by the interest and the potential gratification of establishing a culture/arts blog of some popularity in our little country.
Commitment-wise, I’ve managed quite well on this personal blog of mine on a basis of maybe two hours a week. Of course, this won’t be the same at all, but I think we can get by on that sort of basis too, maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less. I’m not sure. I know it’s no full-time job, and not even a part-time job, so I certainly don’t think anyone will be putting in anywhere near that level of commitment into this. It would also depend, of course, on the number of contributors we manage to get.
The goal of this is just to make a cosy little place for people to drop by for updates on certain things we like, opinions and the like, recommendations, and maybe even something to think about. Modest popularity, I think, would already be very good. I’m not very ambitious.
Send me these things
So, that’s my very poor pitch. I’m no salesman, but in case you get won over by some miracle, drop me a line through the contact form on this site (or through any other means if you are a personal acquaintance) with the following things:
- Tell me what you can contribute to the blog. (“I have a passion for modern dance, Russian literature, and sculptures made with staplers.”)
- Tell me too about any relevant skills and experience that you might possess. (“I’ve blogged for three years and can type with my toes.”)
- Tell me if you have any hopes for the blog. (“I hope people will be able to find out more about local children’s literature through this blog.”)
- You can include any ideas you think you can bring to the blog. (“What about a feature on local museums?” or “I’ll manage the classical music section.”)
- And also include a note about any other special talents. (“I can swallow tomatoes whole.”)
You may also include any questions or concerns you have about it; I’ll do my best to answer. Thanks!
d
Super Mario
Mario Vargas Llosa takes this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature, and I think this is the first time in 7 or 8 years that I’ve guessed something right. Even though I did list five names, but it’d be too difficult otherwise.
Congratulations, sir!
d
Exciting Things
I am somewhat sad and somewhat stressed these days, but let’s not talk about those things today. Let’s talk about exciting things!
I am, for instance, quite excited by the imminent release of Roland Barthes’s Mourning Diary, which sounds so ridiculously morbid I probably shouldn’t have said it, but the thought of more Barthes to read is always a happy one. Plus, I read a couple of sentences from previews here and there and it seems so completely heartbreaking. So in a sense, it’s a book event that I’m looking forward to on the scale of that which occurred back when 2666 was going to be released.
Station To Station just got re-released, and I’m looking forward to giving it a spin once I get my hands on it. I may also check out the new Eric Clapton album.
On the subject of music re-releases, there’s also the re-release of Dylan’s mono albums. I’m no stickler for mono, but I’m curious as to how they will sound. And on top of that, Dark Horse records is releasing new editions of the Ravi Shankar albums produced by George Harrison.
This week is Nobel week! I’m rooting for Bei Dao, Mario Vargas Llosa, Cormac McCarthy, Javier Marias, or Antonio Tabucchi to take it. I know that’s not very likely, but it would be nice to be right once in a while, you know?
Some new ideas! Thinking on them!
This week, my purchase of Derrida’s Of Grammatology should arrive and grace my shelves in due course. I don’t know why I never thought to add it to my library before, but problem solved.
The French movie Le Petit Nicolas, based on the children’s book series, is coming to Singapore, and this excites me for reasons I cannot really mention. I’m quite sure this won’t stay a source of excitement for very long.
I’m quite sure there are a few other little things, very little things, but that’s as much as I can ask for nowadays. Right, back to work.
d
