culture
the influence
the influence November 25, 2023
Conductor Benjamin Northey on Thus Spake Zarathustra
Benjamin Northey – now celebrating two decades with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra – says Richard Strauss’s Thus Spake Zarathustra is an exemplar of musical storytelling.
the influence November 18, 2023
Tra Mi Dinh on Ann Veronica Janssens’ installation Blue, Red and Yellow
For dancer and choreographer Tra Mi Dinh, Ann Veronica Janssens’ installation Blue, Red and Yellow is a sensory inspiration.
the influence November 11, 2023
Jessie French on Newton and Helen Mayer Harrison
The work of groundbreaking eco artists Newton and Helen Mayer Harrison has informed Jessie French’s exploration of a world without petrochemicals.
the influence November 4, 2023
Stephen Nicolazzo on Madonna’s Girlie Show
For Stephen Nicolazzo, founder of Little Ones Theatre and now artistic director of Brink Productions, Madonna is the reason he makes theatre.
the influence October 28, 2023
Stanislava Pinchuk on architect Bogdan Bogdanović
The surrealist anti-fascist monuments of Serbian architect Bogdan Bogdanović are a ‘North Star’ for artist Stanislava Pinchuk.
the influence October 21, 2023
Director Nigel Jamieson on Kathakali classical dance
When he travelled in India as a young man, director Nigel Jamieson encountered Kathakali classical dance and drama – an experience that has informed his entire career.
the influence October 14, 2023
Anna Cordingley on Gordon Matta-Clark’s Conical Intersect
For theatre designer Anna Cordingley, Gordon Matta-Clark’s radical deconstruction of two Paris houses, Conical Intersect, is a continuing inspiration.
the influence October 7, 2023
The biggest influence on Sri Lankan–Australian Anandavalli’s international dance career was the implacable determination of her mother, Lingambikai.
the influence September 30, 2023
Artist Josipa Draisma on Me and Daphne
When multidisciplinary artist Josipa Draisma was researching the history of migrant women working in Australian factories, she came across Martha Ansara’s 1977 film Me and Daphne – and found her grandmother.
the influence September 23, 2023
Nicholas Jose on Liu Xiaodong’s Smoker
When Nicholas Jose saw Liu Xiaodong’s painting Smoker, in a Beijing exhibition that expressed the political unrest leading up to Tiananmen Square, it marked a turning point in the writer’s life.
the influence September 16, 2023
Sarah Giles on the cartoon Ren & Stimpy
A childhood love of Ren & Stimpy allowed award-winning theatre director Sarah Giles to see that creating art from the silly and absurd is an act of bravery.
