owls and the Chinese Renaissance

8/5:

Today I conducted two interviews that could not be more radically different. First up was Stacey OBrien, who has written a genuinely touching yet thought provoking memoir of life with a Barn Owl. I know, sounds "heart warming", well part of it is, but mostly the book is about the repsonsibility that bringing animals into our lives really means. As her mentor at CalTech, Dr. Penfield put it: "To that which you tame, you owe your life." Meaning a pet is not an accessory, it's a full fledged member of your family and home and needs to be treated as such. Wesley, Stacey's owl, lives for 16 years changing her life and her ability to date even. One of my favorite sections is that when her heart-throb dumps her because she has to keep this owl, she laments never having that dream wedding in which she could have walked down the aisle to "She Blinded Me With Science." The book: WESLEY THE OWL: THE REMARKABLE LOVE STORY OF AN OWL AND HIS GIRL.

THEN: I interviewed ROBERT ADANTO, Executive Producer and Director of the Documentary THE RISING TIDE. This astonishing film looks at the attitudes and work of contemporary artists in CHINA at a time when that economic giant is in the throes of societal and cultural change that make the last Industrial Revolution look like a jaunt to your local Target store. The artists are given almost a free reign of experssion, but it's still a totalitarian state, and where the line is drawn between acceptable art and not is complex and subtle. I love the work, but there is a nationalist attitude behind it all that is somewhat troubling. Great film, see it if you can. There is a showing at the Worcester Art Musuem  Saturday August 23, 2008 at 6:30PM. Go to the museum's website for details.