Culture 101

He's reached that stage of getting called a legend of the underground and certainly, Bill Direen is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most singular, long serving and distinctive poets and musicians. His career began in the fertile music and theatre scene of Ōtautahi Christchurch in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. 

Forming the group The Bilders (for which he has been sole constant, with a fascinating roster of international players) Direen was to be an influential figure in the early days of Flying Nun. 

Direen has gone on to work with numerous collaborators over numerous countries, never confined to one artform or scene; from his current home in Middlemarch Otago, to New York and time spent living in Berlin and Paris.   

He joins RNZ’s Culture 101 to discuss some of his recent work, which finds much of its inspiration in the history of  film.

He has been crowned a legend of the underground and certainly, Bill Direen is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most singular, long serving and distinctive poets and musicians. His career began in the fertile music and theatre scene of Ōtautahi Christchurch in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. 

Forming the group The Bilders (for which he has been sole constant, with a fascinating roster of international players) Direen was to be an influential figure in the early days of Flying Nun. 

Direen has gone on to work with numerous collaborators over numerous countries, never confined to one artform or scene; from his current home in Middlemarch Otago, to New York and time spent living in Berlin and Paris.   

He joins RNZ’s Culture 101 to discuss some of his recent work, which finds much of its inspiration in the history of  film.

An area of Aotearoa New Zealand arts getting major global reach right now is music and sound for film. 

Culture 101 brought together three composers and musicians making inroads in this field to talk about how they make the remarkable work they do: Moniker’s Sam Flynn Scott, Lachlan Anderson and Stephen Gallagher.  

The reach doesn’t get much bigger. August saw the debut of the animated feature Saving Bikini Bottom, based on the television series SpongeBob SquarePants. On its premiere weekend it got 12.8 million views and 13.4 million views in its second week, making it the streaming services number one overall title.

A gateway to Te Wai Pounamu and the Marlborough Sounds, Picton has the capacity to surprise travellers with the range of cultural experiences on offer. 

It’s the destination for this week’s Culture 101 Regional Wrap.  

Barbara Speedy is the Director of The Diversion Gallery, situated on the picturesque waterfront.

What is the secret to designing a great kitchen? Many of us may think we have the answers, but reality can throw up plenty of challenges.

550 migrants or their advocates laid complaints last month. It comes as less than 2000 overseas workers arrive. Meanwhile Immigration New Zealand reports they have revoked the accreditation of 500 employers.

For 200 years this has been a land of immigrants, welcoming successive waves of peoples and their cultures. 

We, the Outsiders is a documentary theatre piece created and inspired by migrant workers' experiences. After seasons in Ōtepoti Dunedin and Pōneke Wellington earlier this year, it’s heading this month to Auckland and Whāngarei Fringe Festivals before heading to the Melbourne Fringe.

A new show by dance group Company B is giving emerging choreographers a creative platform, and mentoring and training 10 young dancers.

Maori-Samoan RnB artist Jordyn Rapana - also known as Jordyn with a Why is on a roll.

You may have heard the phrase ‘triple threat’ in the arts, but Petmal Petelo is perhaps a quadruple threat. A dancer, actor, stage manager and assistant director she’s been steadily rising in the theatre world.

The Ōtepoti arts scene has long had a gloriously independent fertile, multi-generational, cross art form approach. But is that culture - once famously dubbed the Dunedin Sound - under threat? 

Many creatives are concerned. They came of age in the city from the 1980s through to the 2010s, and cite factors like increased rents and noise control provisions as practical threats to space for the city’s arts community.

Each week, Culture 101 puts the spotlight on a different part of Aotearoa. This week, we’re in Feilding in Manawatū as the town celebrates 150 years.