Almost a quarter of Americans cite a ‘lack of someone to go with’ as a barrier to attending arts events. Ivan Hewett says it’s time for the arts to become more sociable.
What’s the best place for a romantic assignation on St Valentine’s Day? Somewhere you can ‘be alone together’ of course. And what better place to do that than a gallery or museum. It’s warmer than a stroll on the beach, a refreshing latte is only a few steps away, and the experience seems tailor-made to give that delicious feeling of shared solitude.
This points to something odd about the experience of high art. It’s as if it needs solitude to come into being. Company is not only superfluous but a danger. It interferes with that private moment of communion.
The way art is organised institutionally helps to bolster this idea. Galleries and museums are hushed spaces, or rather they were, until the kids were allowed to run around in them. In classical concerts the house lights are dimmed, and in the opera house they’re switched off completely. The cinema replicates this intimate dark. We’re encouraged to sink into a blissful state of communion with whatever is happening in front of us... Keep reading on The Telegraph
What’s the best place for a romantic assignation on St Valentine’s Day? Somewhere you can ‘be alone together’ of course. And what better place to do that than a gallery or museum. It’s warmer than a stroll on the beach, a refreshing latte is only a few steps away, and the experience seems tailor-made to give that delicious feeling of shared solitude.
This points to something odd about the experience of high art. It’s as if it needs solitude to come into being. Company is not only superfluous but a danger. It interferes with that private moment of communion.
The way art is organised institutionally helps to bolster this idea. Galleries and museums are hushed spaces, or rather they were, until the kids were allowed to run around in them. In classical concerts the house lights are dimmed, and in the opera house they’re switched off completely. The cinema replicates this intimate dark. We’re encouraged to sink into a blissful state of communion with whatever is happening in front of us... Keep reading on The Telegraph