The Drawing Room

Summer is such a part of the Australian national identity. But what if there was no longer a winter to counterbalance summer? What if there was no reprieve from the heat?

What better way to express and process our anger, sorrow, and worry about the inevitable changes climate change will bring through art?

Written in the aftermath of the 2019/2020 bushfires Noëlle Janaczewsk's play The End of Winter grapples with exactly this.

Guest: 

Jane Phegan, actor

It’s the closest thing to space we have here on Earth; extreme isolation and confinement, limited communication. No plants or animals to be seen. Months of total darkness and only 12 other people to talk to for a year.

It’s the Concordia research station in Antarctica and if you’re feeling claustrophobic, then maybe being an astronaut isn't for you. 

But for Dr Meganne Christian spending a year at the research station helped her realise her dream of becoming an astronaut.

Guests:

Dr Meganne Christian, Reserve Astronaut

1966 Greenwich Village, the centre of counter-culture. 23-year-old Patricia Field opens her boutique and it would become a hub for creatives for the next five decades.

Today, at 82 years old her costume and styling work has made hit shows like Sex And The City, the Devil Wears Prada and Emily In Paris iconic fashion touchstones.

She is the subject of Michael Selditch's new documentary 'Happy Clothes: A Film About Patricia Field'

Guest:

Michael Selditch, producer/director

Old and rare book collections bring to mind the personal libraries of the landed gentry in England. Floor-to-ceiling shelves of dark leather bound books with gold engraved covers. Maybe a little bit dusty… perhaps musty. 

What is the future of these books and book collections if they cannot be poured over… shared… handled… enjoyed... it's a question raised - and potentially answered - by digitising old and rare books.

History of Books and Shakespeare expert Emma Smith spoke on the topic for the launch of the State Library Victoria's new online exhibition Beyond The Book.

In 1989 rock was king. On the mid-north coast of NSW, Newcastle was serving up some of Australia’s best new music. 

There’s nothing more pitiful or senseless than a mass stranding of whales. Around 100 Pilot whales stranded themselves recently on the WEST coast. It’s senseless, largely because we still don't really know WHY whales beach themselves.

The largest recorded mass stranding in Australia was in 2020, when almost 500 whales beached, at possibly the most treacherous and infamous inlet in the country - Hells Gates, at Macquarie Harbour on the western coast of Tasmania. 

Little did the locals who tried to save them know that whales would beach again exactly two years later TO THE DAY. Their testimonies form the new show, “Hells Gates” by Joel Carnegie, welcome to you.

Banzai Pipeline is the centre of the surfing universe. It's made careers but it has also claimed lives.

In 2015 Aussie pro surfer Owen Wright emerged from these frothing blue waves a different version of himself, he was lucky to emerge at all.

His new book about his experience is called 'Against the Water'

When we think of our culture it’s easy to think of the culture of the big urban cities. 

Much like hip-hop DJs sample a genre-busting variety of music to create something new in itself Australian artistic duo Soda Jerk does so for video.

Creating a film HELLO DANKNESS, which skewers the farcical nature of American politics using video and audio samples from over 500 tv shows and movies.

When you think of a cellist, you might think of Jacqueline Du Pre or Yo-Yo Ma, and less about Skrillex, the soundtrack for The Hangover 2 or heavy metal.Cellist Tina Guo is a rebel. She’s created a unique brand for herself and her stringed instrument, bringing the cello into all sorts of places across different musical genres and projects you may not expect.