Beyond Survival is a hybrid podcast exploring the intersection of art, spirit, culture, and activism — moving from the deeply personal to the unmistakably global.

In Episode 12, the conversation travels across geostrategic terrain and inner landscapes, weaving together geopolitics, creative futures, trauma recovery, and the quiet courage of transformation.

This episode is for artists, thinkers, and those who don’t feel at home in fast culture — listeners drawn to slow conversations, layered meaning, and art as a form of survival and resistance.

🎬 Episode Journey & Chapters

After a rocky (and very human) technical start, we begin properly at 00:40, moving through:

* 03:13 — Australia–US relations: AUKUS, rare earths & power dynamics

* 07:05 — Deep dive into the AUKUS submarine deal

* 09:51 — Kevin Rudd & diplomatic strategy

* 13:07 — Outcomes of recent meetings & Australia’s global position

* 15:38 — Global security shifts & Ukraine

* 16:58 — A turn inward: personal transformation

* 18:58 — From horror to hope: transcending trauma

* 21:00 — Incremental healing & conscious life choices

* 23:01 — AI technology & creative futures

* 25:58 — AI’s impact on creativity, time & identity

* 28:53 — Camera follows the ghost (yes, Sam appears 👻)

* 31:38 — “Who am I?” — a philosophical pause

* 33:20 — Learning to pivot in life and art

* 35:39 — Featured artist: Josephine Turalba

* 37:40 — Stephanie’s new house & life shifts

* 39:15 — Year 12 graduation & the power of showing up

* 41:42 — AI, copyright & social-media laws

* 45:01 — Closing reflections: laugh, love, breathe

From submarine treaties to personal healing, this episode traces the fragile line between survival and transformation — and what it means to stay human in complex systems.

🎨 Featured Artist — Josephine Turalba

Josephine Turalba is a Manila-based interdisciplinary artist working across video, performance, sculpture, sound, and photography. Her practice examines geopolitical violence, migration, trauma, and cultural collision, exploring how bodies, memory, and history intersect.

Her work acts as a beacon throughout this episode — crossing borders of identity, art, and survival.

Learn more:

• https://josephineturalba.art/

• MIT ACT Profile

• The Artling Profile

🍯 StudioZer0 High-Tea Recipes Featured

🌿 Lemon Myrtle Baklava with Macadamias

🍋 Auzzie Summer Lemon Crinkle Biscuits

🦐 Saffron & Prawn Mini Arancini Balls

StudioZer0 Beyond Survival Ep16 | Special Effects BOSS Gal | Stephanie Davis | RECIPES

About the Show

Beyond Survival is a hybrid podcast from StudioZer0 Arts Inc. (Perth, Australia) — conversations at the crossroads of art • spirit • culture • activism, guiding us from surviving toward transforming.

🌐 Connect & Listen

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@studiozeroart7590

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@studiozer0.art

Substack: https://substack.com/@artsmartstudiozer0

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studiozer0.art

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kelli.sharp.studiozero.art

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@studiozer0.arts

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelli-sharp-83ab54a

Credits

Hosts: Geraldine Pillinger & Kelli Sharp

Producer: Stephanie Davis

Superhost: Gizmo 🐾

Studio: StudioZer0 Arts Inc.

💛 If you value art • spirit • culture • activism and community care, please Like, Comment, Subscribe & Share. Organic support keeps this work alive.

* Beyond Survival Podcast

* Contemporary Art Film

* Art Activism

* Migration Stories

* Interdisciplinary Art

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsmartstudiozer0.substack.com/subscribe

This Season One finale began as a gentle, snack-filled debrief — and quietly became something deeper: a heartfelt conversation about the future of the arts in Western Australia.

Between barking dogs, disappearing sausage rolls and fly-swatting chaos, we found ourselves speaking honestly about what’s happening to independent artists, filmmakers and creative communities in WA — and what we stand to lose if support continues to erode.

In this episode, we reflect on:

* The current state of arts funding and structural support in WA

* Why conceptual, experimental and independent practices are being sidelined

* The growing risk of artists leaving the state — and not returning

* Art as leadership, community and cultural memory

* Why connection and collaboration matter now more than ever

This episode is informal, funny, tired, sincere — and rooted in care for WA’s creative soul.

If you care about art, storytelling, community and cultural survival, this conversation is for you.

With love, snacks & solidarity,

Kelli, Geraldine, Stephanie, Fiona & Gizmo

* Beyond Survival Podcast

* StudioZer0 Arts

* Western Australia Arts

* Perth Creatives

* Creative Community

* Arts Advocacy

* Independent Film WA

* Women in the Arts

* Cultural Commentary

* Season One Finale

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsmartstudiozer0.substack.com/subscribe

Our Season One finale is exactly what the title promises — a slightly chaotic, snack-fuelled roundtable that unexpectedly becomes a heartfelt conversation about the future of the arts in WA.

Between Gizmo barking at invisible spirits, flies dive-bombing the table, and sausage rolls mysteriously disappearing, something deeper emerged: a shared fear that Western Australia is losing its artistic identity — and a shared hope that community can rebuild what systems have neglected.

In this episode we dive into:

• What’s happening to arts funding and support in WA

• Why conceptual, experimental and independent work is slipping through the cracks

• How creatives are surviving despite structural decline

• The rise of feminine leadership, soft power & climate voice

• Our 2025 expansion into snackable, stackable StudioZer0 vlogs

• What we stand to lose — and what we can still save

It’s silly. It’s serious. It’s messy. It’s honest.

And it’s a love letter to the creative soul of Western Australia.

Listen in, share with someone who loves WA’s arts community, and join us as we move into Season Two.

With love, snacks & solidarity,

Kelli, Geraldine, Stephanie, Fiona & Gizmo

www.StudioZeroArt.org

* Beyond Survival Podcast

* StudioZer0 Arts

* Western Australia Arts

* Perth Creatives

* Independent Film WA

* Arts Advocacy

* Women in the Arts

* Creative Community

* Cultural Policy WA

* Season Finale

Perth arts crisis, WA arts funding, creative ecosystem WA, independent artists Perth, conceptual art WA, Fremantle Biennale, arts cuts Australia, Beyond Survival Ep17, StudioZer0 podcast, Perth cultural sector, art activism Australia, WA filmmakers, creative leadership women, Perth Festival arts, Fringe artists WA

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsmartstudiozer0.substack.com/subscribe

‘I Practically Kill People for a Living’ Blood, Gore & Creative Alchemy with Stephanie Davis

This week on StudioZer0: Beyond Survival, we sit down with filmmaker, producer, and special-effects artist Stephanie Davis — the brilliant mind behind Somedae Pictures and StudioZer0’s own “Boss Gal.”

From silicone gore to on-set chaos, from indie filmmaking hustle to the bizarre things she’s asked to make bleed… Stephanie brings humour, heart, and a wildly entertaining honesty about the world of practical SFX.

We also go behind the scenes of how she creates hyper-realistic wounds, the emotional toll of storytelling through violence, why practical effects beat CGI for human connection, and what it means to make art that shocks, disturbs, heals — and sometimes tastes like corn syrup.

✨ Paired Recipes:

This episode’s High-Tea spread includes dishes with a touch of “cinematic carnage” — sweet, sticky, crimson, crunchy… perfect for an SFX-themed episode.

* Beyond Survival Podcast

* Stephanie Davis

* Special Effects Makeup

* Indie Filmmaking

* Practical Effects

* StudioZer0 Arts

* Creative Process

* Australian Filmmakers

* Behind the Scenes

* Art and Culture

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsmartstudiozer0.substack.com/subscribe

In this powerful episode, multidisciplinary artist and writer Carl Gopalkrishnan shares his healing journey, exploring how trauma, art, politics, and personal transformation weave through his life and creative practice. From early wounds to quantum physics research, from Perth’s art scene to AUKUS policy work — Carl’s story shows how “collateral damage” can become restoration through courage, creativity, and truth-telling.

Alongside Kelli Sharp & Geraldine Pillinger, Carl reflects on censorship, belonging, community, geopolitics, and the choice we all face:

🔥 Will you choose love over fear?

🔥 What’s your “wall of fire”?

This episode blends art activism, democratic awareness, personal storytelling, mental health insight, and creative resilience — delivered in the signature hybrid style of StudioZer0: Beyond Survival.

**NEW **Beyond Survival is a hybrid podcast blending art, spirit, culture & activism — from the personal to the global — with storytelling. 🎙️ Each episode explores self-discovery, resilience, creativity, democracy & humanity - from trauma recovery and mental health to art activism, philosophy, and personal growth. Watch full episodes and Shorts here.

🔔 Subscribe & turn on notifications to never miss new episodes of Beyond Survival — where art, spirit, culture, and activism come together to reimagine the future.

Beyond Survival is a hybrid podcast from StudioZer0 Arts Inc. (Perth, Australia) — conversations at the crossroads of art • spirit • culture • activism that move us from surviving to transforming.

👇 Let us know in the comments: What’s your “wall of fire”? How do you choose love over fear in your life?

Chapters with Timestamps

* Introduction and Welcome — 2:47

* Discussing Current Events and Trump Administration — 4:11

* The Role and Definition of Artists — 8:04

* Perth Art Scene and Bridge Gallery Memories — 13:42

* Food, Baking, and Creative Expression — 19:22

* Bill Henson Controversy and Australian Art Censorship — 26:32

* Polarization and the Need for Dialogue — 30:33

* Carl’s Artistic Journey and Quantum Physics Work — 37:41

* The Importance of Audience and Creative Freedom — 49:31

* Carl’s Policy Work and Community Engagement — 54:00

* Navigating Political Spaces as an Artist — 58:29

* Future of Governance and Technology — 1:00:19

* AUKUS and Family History — 1:07:28

* Artists’ Role in AUKUS Education and Consent — 1:08:58

* Closing Thoughts and Farewell — 1:12:57

🌐 Connect with Us & Join the Conversation

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@studiozeroart7590

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@studiozer0.art

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studiozer0.art

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kelli.sharp.studiozero.art

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@studiozer0.arts

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelli-sharp-83ab54a

🔗 Resources & Support

Hosts: Geraldine Pillinger & Kelli Sharp • Superhost: Gizmo 🐾

Producer: Stephanie Davis • Studio: StudioZer0 Art Inc.

💡 If you value **art • spirit • culture * activism** and community care, please **Like, Comment, Subscribe & Share**. Your organic support is the only way we grow. “Beyond Survival is a hybrid podcast blending art, spirit, culture, activism and storytelling. Watch all episodes here:https://www.youtube.com/@studiozeroart7590/podcasts

ARTIST WATCH & REVIEWS

Guest Artist : Carl Gopalkrishnan | Artist Watch: Meet Carl Gopalkrishnan, a multidisciplinary artist whose work bridges myth, politics, and lived experience.

His bold visual language invites us to rethink power, identity, and the world we inherit.

https://www.facebook.com/carlgopalkrishnan

https://www.carlgopal.com

SUBSTACK ARTICLES

Obama, AUKUS, and the Myth-Making Machine: Carl Gopalkrishnan’s Art of Resistance

by Kelli Sharp https://substack.com/@artsmartstudiozer0/note/p-179961311?r=4p9e1h&utm_source=notes-share-action&utm_medium=web

RECIPES - See on SubStack

Bring something warm from your oven and join us at the table for Episode 15.

Guest artist Carl Gopalkrishnan shares his stories this Friday, 28 Nov 2025.

This collection includes:

🍮 Mini Basque Cheesecakes (GF + Wheat-Free)

🍏 Sicilian Apple Cakes

🥐 Swedish Cardamom Bullar

🦐 Seafood Tartlets

🔥 Tandoori Drumsticks

#Art #TraumaHealingJourney #ChooseLoveOverFear #ArtActivism #MentalHealthAwareness #AUKUS #CarlGopalkrishnan

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsmartstudiozer0.substack.com/subscribe

What does it mean to walk through the Wall of Fire — those moments in life we can’t avoid, bypass, or soften?

In this deeply reflective episode, Geraldine and Kelli explore the threshold between fear and love, trauma and renewal, survival and transformation.

At the StudioZer0 table — with tea, food, memory, laughter, and honesty — we open a heartfelt conversation about:

🔥 Choosing love over fear in moments of crisis

🔥 Walking through trauma, truth, and personal turning points

🔥 Emotional resilience, courage, and self-compassion

🔥 Storytelling, ritual, and food as grounding practices

🔥 Leadership with empathy & community care

🔥 The quiet power of renewal and rising from the ashes

This is an episode for anyone navigating healing, burnout, change, grief, or the long journey back to themselves. It’s warm, grounding, candid, and full of the small moments that remind us we’re not alone.

If you’re standing at your own wall of fire, this conversation will meet you there.

🎧 Listen above, or watch the full episode on YouTube:

🥧 Recipes from the Episode (Full versions on Substack)

✨ Greek Bougatsa with Honey & Pistachios — The Offering from the Ashes (Part I)

✨ Jam & Coconut Tarts — The Offering from the Ashes (Part II)

🍄 Mushroom Pâté — The Earth Offering

These dishes hold the ritual side of this episode — grounding before the fire, sweetness after.

💬 What about you?

Share in the comments:

Where in your life are you choosing love over fear?

What’s your Wall of Fire?

Your story may help someone else in our community.

🌟 About the Show

Beyond Survival is a hybrid podcast from StudioZer0 Arts Inc. (Perth, Australia), exploring the intersections of art • spirit • culture • activism through storytelling and lived experience.

This is a space for courage, creativity, and community care — where survival becomes transformation.

StudioZer0 Beyond Survival The Wall of Fire Healing Journey Trauma Recovery Choose Love Over Fear Emotional Resilience Personal Growth Community Care Art and Spirit Cultural Reflections Women Podcasters Australian Podcast Self Development Transformation

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsmartstudiozer0.substack.com/subscribe

What does it take to choose love over fear?

To walk straight through the wall of fire — those moments of trauma, truth, and transformation we can’t avoid, bypass, or outrun?

In this deeply personal episode, Geraldine and Kelli sit at the StudioZer0 table with cups of tea, warm food, memory, laughter, and courage as they explore what it means to rise from the ashes. This conversation weaves together:

🔥 emotional healing & the fear–love threshold

🔥 the power of community, humour & shared humanity

🔥 navigating overwhelm, trauma responses & self-rescue

🔥 compassionate leadership, public care & collective wellbeing

🔥 creative ritual, storytelling & food as grounding practice

From personal stories to cultural reflections, this episode is both heart-opening and grounding — a reminder that walking through the fire is how we reclaim ourselves.

If you’re navigating change, grief, burnout, healing, or renewal — this one’s for you.

🎧 Listen Now

Tap play above or watch the full episode on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@studiozeroart7590/podcasts

🥧 Recipes Mentioned (Full Instructions on Substack)

✨ Greek Bougatsa with Honey & Pistachios – The Offering From the Ashes

✨ Jam & Coconut Tarts – The Offering From the Ashes, Part II

🍄 Mushroom Pâté – The Earth Offering

These recipes form part of this episode’s creative ritual — food as grounding, memory, and nourishment before and after the fire.

💬 Join the Conversation

What’s your own Wall of Fire?

Where in your life are you choosing love over fear?

Share your reflections in the comments — your story might be the spark someone else needs. 💛

✨ About the Show

Beyond Survival is a hybrid podcast from StudioZer0 Arts Inc. (Perth, Australia), exploring the intersections of art • spirit • culture • activism through storytelling, conversation, ritual, and lived experience.

This is a space for courage, creativity, and community care — where survival becomes transformation.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsmartstudiozer0.substack.com/subscribe

What Does It Truly Mean To Be?

A StudioZer0 • Art • Spirit • Culture • Activism Podcast

In this deeply reflective episode, Geraldine, Kelli, and Gizmo dive into the ancient, enduring question: What does it truly mean to be?

Through the dance between heart and mind, we journey into the spaces where art, spirit, and culture converge — revealing how these forces shape both our inner lives and our shared human future.

🔥 In this episode you’ll discover:

• Profound insights on being, purpose, consciousness, and presence

• How art becomes activism — shaping culture, truth-telling, and collective futures

• Indigenous wisdom that reconnects us to Country, Earth, and ancestral knowledge

• Cultural and political shifts reshaping Australia and the globe

• A powerful spotlight on Ahmed Muhanna, the Gazan artist transforming humanitarian aid boxes into symbols of resilience, memory, and hope

This isn’t just a conversation — it’s a transformative space where creativity deepens consciousness, where activism becomes art, and where the heart leads us home.

🎧 Subscribe to join our growing glocal community redefining how we live, create, care, and imagine the 21st century.

Chapters

00:00 – Welcome & Introduction

03:12 – Today’s Table: Melting Moments & Cordon Bleu Bites

06:31 – Heart vs Mind: The Main Theme

09:41 – Understanding ‘Being’: The Spiritual State

15:05 – The State of Humanity & Cultural Shifts

26:06 – Indigenous Wisdom & Climate Action

32:39 – Collective Spirit & Conscious Connection

42:47 – Culture, Policy & Activism in Australia

55:07 – Marriage of Heart & Mind

1:00:38 – Death, Transcendence & Personal Evolution

1:27:45 – Artist Ahmed Muhanna: Gaza, Art & Hope

1:31:45 – Closing Thoughts & Sign Off

It’s a StudioZer0 moment — where truth meets tea, laughter meets learning, and art meets activism.

🕊️ Who do we want to be — as humans, as artists, as a community?

🌐 studiozeroarts.org

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsmartstudiozer0.substack.com/subscribe

✨ In this week’s episode of StudioZer0 Beyond Survival we explore the idea that transcendence isn’t something you achieve — it’s something you see.

“Transcendence Is Not a To-Do List” brings together art, politics, history, and human experience in a deeply reflective conversation on what it means to move beyond mere survival. From the power and protest in Banksy’s latest mural to Dr Gabor Maté’s wisdom on collective trauma, we trace the threads that connect creativity, consciousness, and compassionate action.

We also look at how Indigenous knowledge and seasonal rhythms can reframe our relationship with time, how media literacy shapes public understanding, and how art continues to challenge systems of power.

This is a conversation for anyone seeking meaning beyond productivity — and a reminder that awareness, not action, is where real transformation begins.

StudioZer0, Beyond Survival, Transcendence, Art and Culture, Banksy, Gabor Maté, Cultural Commentary, Politics, Social Commentary, Creative Conversation, Consciousness, Trauma, Indigenous Wisdom, Media Literacy, Creative Activism, Global Solidarity

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsmartstudiozer0.substack.com/subscribe

🎙️ Podcast + Premiere Short Film Feature

🫖 Welcome to the Table

Democracy’s always been fragile — we’ve all known that. But what if democracy itself isn’t the final answer?

In this bold and unfiltered conversation, hosts Kelli Sharp and Geraldine Pillinger sit down with Guest Commentator Malcolm Fiahlo (Malkie) to explore the evolving landscape of politics, identity, gender, and belonging — from the U.S. to Australia and beyond.

They ask the question: What lies beyond democracy and autocracy… and what happens when humanity itself becomes the compass?

💬 In This Episode

• The evolution of American politics & the Trump era

• Authoritarianism vs democracy in a global context

• The rise of identity politics & why pronouns matter

• Masculinity, gender roles & equality in modern society

• Open relationships, polyamory & boundaries of intimacy

• Media narratives vs on-the-ground realities

• Predictions for 2028 and the future of America

• The role of the arts in healing and activism

🎥

Premiere Feature:

🩷 The Art Class for Women Who Love Women | Love Me Lex – Episode 1

An award-winning lesbian romance short by Stephanie Davis | Someday Pictures, premiering at the end of this episode.

(As seen on Lesflicks & international festival circuits.)

🗺️

Chapters (YouTube Sync Version)

00:00 – Intro & Welcome

02:38 – Meet the Hosts & Guest

03:13 – Producer Shout-out

03:19 – Recap of Last Episode

03:31 – Trump: Early Impressions

03:59 – New York Stories

04:14 – The Apprentice & Roy Cohn

04:54 – Trump’s Consistency

05:11 – Business History

05:56 – On the Ground in DC

06:24 – US Perceptions vs Reality

07:51 – National Guard in DC

08:49 – Geopolitical Comparisons

11:26 – Authoritarianism & National Identity

12:08 – MAGA & Global Parallels

13:06 – Predictions for 2028

14:46 – Chaos & National Theatre

16:04 – US Constitution & Checks

17:24 – Government Shutdowns

18:47 – Where Did the Left Go Wrong?

20:52 – Messaging & Elections

22:51 – Nuance in Political Debate

24:22 – Personal Political Journeys

25:25 – Log Cabin Republicans

27:46 – Open Relationships & Polyamory

31:04 – Relationship Boundaries

33:14 – Polyamory vs Promiscuity

34:40 – Societal Shifts & Predictions

36:15 – Power, Heritage Foundation & US Aid

39:00 – America’s Future & Superpower Status

41:00 – Masculinity & Gender Roles

44:00 – Progression vs Crisis

47:00 – Final Thoughts & Tea Party

49:00 – Staying Engaged in the Arts

52:00 – Closing Remarks – Laugh, Love, Breathe

✨

The Takeaway

This isn’t just another political chat.

It’s a StudioZer0 moment — where truth meets tea, laughter meets learning, and art meets activism.

🕊️ Who do we want to be — as humans, as artists, as a community?

🌐 Connect with Us & Join the Conversation

🌐 studiozeroarts.org

📺 YouTube 🧵 Threads 📰 Substack 📸 Instagram

📘 Facebook 🎵 TikTok 💼 LinkedIn

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsmartstudiozer0.substack.com/subscribe