Thanks to member Phil Cox who wanted to share this curated web platform - Cureditor (newsletter@cureditor.com)

Phil says:

"Every week from their base in London a collection of curators compile the attached newsletter with links to what they have found most interesting in their genre - arts, culture, design, media, etc.

I love waking up to it each Saturday morning, and I often see articles that I want to send to friends. So, it just struck me that I should send around the whole Saturday email so that you can take a look and possibly subscribe. This week for example there is an article reflecting on the development of small houses. In mid December there was an article exploring the world of Positive News (our local version being NewScoop YYC). And in November, for goodness sake, there was a fascinating piece on plane spotting! (really).

Have a look and see what you think."

Must reads, hot topics, most popular...

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The Week In Context: JANUARY 7TH, 2016

MUST READS OF THE WEEK

INVISIBLE IMAGES (YOUR PICTURES ARE LOOKING AT YOU)

Trevor Paglen
The New Inquiry

If you betted big on Hillary or Remain last year you should have saved your coffers for Trevor Paglen’s win of the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize. Here he excellently writes about the power of images, and automated learning in image detection and its scary consequences.

THE TINY-HOUSE MOVEMENT GOES HUGE

Mark Sundeen
Outside

“There seemed to be a fundamental flaw in the Tiny Dream: it promised financial freedom and affordable housing, yet in most cases it involved buying what amounted to an RV and still not owning land.” This honest, humorous account of the tiny house movement and its very American subculture is the best thing I’ve read this year.

THE LONG VIEW

Raffi Khatchadourian
The New Yorker

Another photographic feature on a photographer whose complex work richly deserves this focus. Also a more multimedia feel for New Yorker, who are beginning to experiment more with format.

6 FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS THE ART WORLD SHOULD BE ASKING ITSELF

Discover – Something by a publisher new to Cureditor this week
Andrew M Goldstein
Artspace

A list with substance. Andrew Goldstein at Artspace tackles some big ideas in the art world including whether it’s as liberal as we might think it is, and a strong consideration of art’s audience. “Too often such works require endless explanation to the lay viewer, and are then merely interesting in the most academic of ways.”

HOT TOPIC

BEST OF... BEST OFS

It's wholly meta but it also reflects that at this time of year there is very little new work to note. Take nothing away from these wrap-up features, though they're mostly regurgitated they're unique amongst their genres. Most best of lists and year-end wrap ups are turgid affairs where consensus is rarely challenged, in these selections we acknowledge their creativity or the sheer effort.

GREAT RESTORATIONS, REVELATIONS, AND DEBUTS OF 2016

Sean Axmaker
Fandor

Prize goes to Fandor for their comprehensive and unusual round-ups for 2016. This takes us through film rediscovered in 2016, and I also recommend that you spend some time with Kevin B Lee and multiple other contributors' best video essays, also at Fandor.

IT'S NICE THAT'S REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2016

It's Nice That

It’s Nice That committed whole-heartedly to the end of the year festivities with this extraordinary collection of top articles, chosen by the editorial team. It’s mostly inward looking, but there’s a lot of quality articles to catch up on.

THE BEST LITERARY ADAPTATIONS OF 2016

Electric Literature, Medium

There are plenty of best of literary lists to go through, many excellent (see the Cureditor archive for more of that) but genre-bending always gets a nod and this is packed with a more innovation than the usual, with some excellent picks along the way.

2016: A MUSICOLOGY OF EXHAUSTION

Nick James Scavo, Pat Beane
Tiny Mix Tapes

I’ll end here on this sublime encapsulation of 2016 in music, a year of exhaustion and fragility, packaged with poetry and more world at large references than music per se, it’s a beautiful meditation.

FEATURE OF THE WEEK

ALL OUR YEAR-END lISTS

This year we offered our pick of the top articles from 2016 for 3 genres, as well as an epic list of selections from many of our guest curators over the last couple of years. So much to discover as a result.

MOST POPULAR

A few of the most popular recommendations on Cureditor this week.

THE TINY-HOUSE MOVEMENT GOES HUGE

Mark Sundeen
Outside

AFTER BEFORE: EL LIBRO DE CARMEN BOULLOSA

Aaron Bady
Full Stop

“Boullosa’s position in the world of Spanish letters is unimpeachable, but though she’s lived in Brooklyn for nearly two decades, her work has remained strangely invisible in the United States.” An honest appeal for English-speaking audiences to find the work of Mexican writer, Carmen Boullosa, whose work is finally receiving translations.

JOHN BERGER'S INTIMATE GREATNESS

Geoff Dyer
Aperture

As early as the 1980s Geoff Dyer has written eloquently about the work of the late John Berger, and in this adapted extract from Dyer’s 2013 book “Understanding a Photograph” also about Berger’s work. Berger questioned photographs “with his signature intensity of attention—and, often, tenderness.”

WHY CAN'T THE U.S. DECOLONIZE ITS DESIGN EDUCATION?

Margaret Andersen
AIGA

“Unless our country’s indigenous design history is recognized as foundational to contemporary design education, that conversation will remain one-sided, and incomplete.” A fascinating look at how design education institutions neglect the imagery and history of native communities, primarily focusing on North America.

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