Who is watching, and who is being watched? Who decides which spaces are visible to the camera and which are effectively invisible, off-limits to authorities? A roundtable discussion examines how engineers, artists, and activists intervene in surveillance systems to subvert, invert, and redefine these relationships, and how the principle of “sousveillance” – meaning surveillance from [...]
Prosperity and Inequality: Debates in India and China
India and China are emerging as major players in the global political economy of this century, having enjoyed record growth rates for the past five years. Yet each faces major social and economic challenges. Both countries are dealing with growing social unrest, widespread poverty, and rising energy needs in a world market shaped by dwindling [...]
Celebrated musician Moby discusses the feeling of being “in synch” while making music with Dr. Petr Janata, a scientist who has made a study of this mental state as assistant professor of psychology at the Center for Mind and Brain at the University of California. This event was presented as part of the Brainwave Festival [...]
Can Mayoral Control Fix Broken Urban School Districts?
Five years ago, the state control of the school system over to Mayor Bloomberg. Soon they must decide whether to extend that power to future administrations. What is the track record of mayoral control — and should it continue after 2009? Keynote speaker is Joel I. Klein, Chancellor, Department of Education, New York City. Panelists [...]
The Nation: Politics at the Center of the Storm
A pioneering political blogger with The Nation’s “Online Beat” and the magazine’s Washington correspondent, John Nichols is one of America’s most respected political writers and experts on impeachment and the constitution. Mr. Nichols shares stories and viewpoints from the center of the political world, touching on the 2008 presidential election, as well as the contemporary [...]
Coney Island, which achieved near-mythic status in the 20th century as the quintessential amusement park and a New York seashore accessible to millions, is today a neighborhood in transition. A coalition of city agencies and the Coney Island Development Corporation (CIDC) are planning to transform the area into a year-round entertainment complex featuring dozens of [...]
Narratives of the Holocaust: Women’s Perspectives
Women remained silent for many years after the Holocaust. Fanya Gottesfeld Heller, a Holocaust survivor, commences this conference by telling her story. Then more specific information is shared on how women’s voices came to take a more prominent role in Holocaust studies in the last few decades, and stories are shared of women’s roles during [...]
Photography in Context: The Influence of The New West
Originally published in 1974, Robert Adams‘ book The New West signaled a shift in photographic representation of the American landscape. Eschewing photography’s role in romanticizing the Western landscape, Adams focused instead on the construction of tract and mobile homes, subdivisions, shopping centers, and urban sprawl in the suburbs of Colorado Springs and the Denver area. [...]
Gerard Mortier-Director of the Opéra National de Paris and New York City Opera General Manager-Designate—discusses the history of opera up until the 20th century, and his vision of opera. This program was the first in a series of three lectures to be delivered by Gerard Mortier throughout the year. It was held at The Morgan [...]
With the city’s real estate booming as never before, the challenge of housing 21st-century New Yorkers is daunting. The city estimates that we will need 265,000 more housing units by 2030. Where will this new housing go, what will it look like, and who will be living there? Shampa Chanda, Assistant Commissioner for Planning for [...]
