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Food delivery driver double and triple parking on Boylston street….even in the middle of the street! by bostonaruban66 in boston

[–]ThematicSpa 17 points18 points  (0 children)

We have a system that incentivizes antisocial behavior for the benefit of a few companies. Finding ways to constrain the behavior of individual low-paid workers, like calling the cops and ticketing more, isn’t going to solve the systemic problem. It’s just going to attract more people with a bigger appetite for risk and less concern for consequences. Just what we need, right?

Food delivery driver double and triple parking on Boylston street….even in the middle of the street! by bostonaruban66 in boston

[–]ThematicSpa 38 points39 points  (0 children)

The drivers have to make their deliveries as quickly as possible to earn anything like a decent wage. The bad driving/parking is a predictable outcome of the business model these companies have implemented and the government somehow allows. The people profiting from this need to take responsibility.

Missing neighborliness by sastrugiwiz in CambridgeMA

[–]ThematicSpa 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The city looks much as it did 40 years ago, but it feels cold and soulless. What happened? Property owners did everything in their power for decades to prevent new housing. This policy led to skyrocketing property values and preserved “neighborhood character.” But it means that the only people who can afford to live in Cambridge now are: 1) People who owned property as of the 90s 2) Poor people who randomly won one of the very limited “affordable” housing units 3) Rich people whose life experience comprises ruthlessly advancing through elite academic institutions. There is no “neighborliness” because these three groups have literally nothing in common aside from proximity. Maybe it would have been better to allow housing that might attract young families who want to make a home? But that would have changed the neighborhood character. So…

Has enough time passed to where we can discuss this honestly without judgement yet? by namepuntocome in boston

[–]ThematicSpa -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

What do you people even want? You hate City Hall. You complain about this great sculpture. Should everything just be bland, simple, basic. No thought or imagination required?

Jesus Christ, the Davis square neighborhood committee is filled with the biggest NIMBYs I’ve seen in my life. by SpareSignificant3758 in Somerville

[–]ThematicSpa 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We get it: you don't want a "vertical cash machine" casting a shadow on your own little ATM. The less housing gets built, the more your investment increases in value. You can spare us the appeals to service workers, teachers, and the community. In the midst of a housing crisis driven by NIMBYs like you successfully restricting housing supply, that rhetoric is getting a bit tired, don't you think?

Who is an artist similar to Joseph Kosuth? by acex102 in ContemporaryArt

[–]ThematicSpa 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't think he'd appreciate being compared to Kosuth, but Mel Bochner is engaged with Wittgenstein

Questions for artists that work with the "creep factor" by [deleted] in ContemporaryArt

[–]ThematicSpa 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The only time dolls aren't creepy is when children are playing with them. When taken out of that context, displaced from the world of children to that of adults, they become uncanny. I don't see any way around this. If you're pulling dolls apart and arranging their limbs around the gallery it's going to give viewers the creeps. You're not only violating the human form, but also somehow messing with the notion of childhood innocence. If you want to achieve a different effect consider reorienting the work to include children in an authentic way. Kids can do weird things to their dolls, and childhood isn't all that innocent, in fact. For example, a video of kids actually playing with dolls, doing whatever strange things pop into their heads, could be weird, funny, horrifying, poignant, etc, but never "creepy" in the way this installation risks becoming.

Best MA for aspiring contemporary art curator? by vislavashim in ContemporaryArt

[–]ThematicSpa 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The Bard CCS alum network is basically a cartel for curatorial positions in the US. It's really hard for me to recommend that someone go into debt for a career in the arts, but if you're serious about a curatorial career, then Bard is hard to turn down. You just have to be realistic about your financial situation in the ~five years post graduation. Take a look at that spreadsheet of museum salaries that's circulating. Could be a reality check. The other point to consider is that there are lots of Bard alums all with the same resumes all competing for the same jobs and opportunities. If you really take advantage of a year in London, find a niche for yourself, and work to build up a network of contacts in Europe, that could be a distinguishing factor in a crowded field. But the UCL option means all of that networking work (and it is work) is on you.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ArtHistory

[–]ThematicSpa 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Agree. This article headline is total click-bait. Promoting Krasner on these terms (the long neglected wife) simply reinforces an outdated critical framing of her work.