Culture 101

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Culture 101

Perlina Lau and Mark Amery host a weekly show about creativity and culture in Aotearoa.

  1. 4 DAYS AGO

    Arts News for February 16, 2025

    The latest arts news from around the motu.

    4 min

  2. 4 DAYS AGO

    Living better, closer and more affordably together: Space Craft Architects

    How can we live better, closer and more affordably together? New Zealand young architecture studio Space Craft are one of the winners of a recent competition to design the housing of the future for New South Wales. The state called for designs of cost effective but beautiful apartments that could be repeated at scale. The state has - like New Zealand - a major housing shortage. New South Wales needs to build 370,000 homes over five years. Space Craft are now refining their winning designs for inclusion in a housing pattern book, expected to launch this year. Pattern books - a kind of template drawing set - aren't used in New Zealand, but there's been a call for them. A response to what is seen as the need for classier, cheaper and more sustainable solutions to our housing shortfall. Critics here say we are building too many bland and insufficient townhouses. Space Craft's Caro Robertson and Tim Gittos have gained a reputation for inventive affordable design solutions for small sections. Their passion began with their own needs when they wanted an affordable first home as a couple. They are also advocates of cohousing, where basic infrastructure and common areas are shared between home owners. Their cohousing project Block Party in Wellington won a 2023 New Zealand Institute of Architects Multi-Unit Housing Award. Caro and Tim have just built a new home for themselves far from Sydney or Wellington. They joined us from north of Whangarei, in Ngunguru.

    22 min

  3. 4 DAYS AGO

    Tackling the Tāmaki Makaurau performing arts scene: Tātaki's Daniel Clarke

    Tackling the Tamaki Makaurau performing arts scene and keeping it alive is part of Daniel Clarke's new role as Director of Performing Arts at Tātaki Auckland Unlimited. Clarke leads a team which oversees the Aotea Centre, Aotea Square, The Civic, Bruce Mason Centre and the Auckland Town Hall with the aim of putting a stronger focus on live entertainment, on behalf of the Auckland Council. Clarke moved from Australia to take on the role where he's had extensive experience in programming and directing. He's worked at Arts Centre Melbourne, Queensland Performing Arts Centre and was co-festival director of World Pride in Sydney. During Covid in Melbourne, he co-led the development and digital strategy to support artists while they worked remotely.

    24 min

  4. 4 DAYS AGO

    Regional Wrap: Ashburton

    The large town of Ashburton is to be found on the Canterbury Plains, halfway between Christchurch and Timaru. It is home to the increasingly celebrated Ashburton Art Gallery and Heritage Centre, whose director Shirin Khosraviani joined Culture 101 for our Regional Wrap. The gallery's new building opened 10 years ago and has now welcomed the local museum inside. In current museum exhibition, Bridging the Chasm the history of the Great Southern Railway is explored. How from 1874 it "opened Ashburton to the world" is explored (the railway stopped in 2002). Ashburton Art Gallery has become known for its strong local and national programming under Khosraviani. That includes the about-to-open Zonta Ashburton Women's Art Awards and exhibition, which is now in its ninth year and the only award of its type in the country. The premier award winner of that show gets their own exhibition the following year. This year that's 2024 winner Marie Porter. Her installation Recloaking considers the harvesting of pine trees on Te Pataka o Rakaihautu Banks Peninsula, and land that Porter cares for. These shows are on until 27 April. Another recent cultural highlight for Khosraviani has been the debut of a new kapa haka group,Te Whanau o Hakatere, at a Waitangi at the Pa event at Hakatere marae. Hakatere is the Maori name for the Ashburton River.

    8 min

  5. 4 DAYS AGO

    Two Hands tattoo studio celebrates two decades with exhibition & convention

    A familiar fixture in Ponsonby in Tāmaki Makaurau, Two Hands tattoo studio is celebrating 20 years. Tattoo artist Stefan Sinclair founded the studio in 2005 and specialises in single-needle fine-line tattooing, a style that became extremely popular in California in the 70s. His work has taken him all over the world including London, Berlin and Melbourne. He's now largely based from LA - but returns home to New Zealand every summer. Two Hands is marking two decades in the business with an exhibition at Toi Tu gallery in Ponsonby and Tattoo Time, a mini-convention over the weekend of 14-16 February. The convention will run across the three days and features a line-up of both local and international tattoo artists. Stefan Sinclair spoke to Culture 101.

    18 min

  6. 4 DAYS AGO

    How Queer really are the plays of Shakespeare? A punk pirate musical answers the question

    Two characters both named Antonio in two different Shakespeare plays - the Merchant of Venice and Twelfth Night - are often considered to be gay. Antonio in Much Ado About Nothing is also suspected. A new queer punk pirate musical Antonio! playfully suggests Shakespeare wasn't just reusing this character name, but was inspired by a real life gay pirate searching for love. In the musical, a swashbuckling Antonio is joined by a live band to reclaim his stories. Antonio! is the brainchild of three Aotearoa New Zealand writers who also came together from across the seas to make it. Writer and producer Ania Upstill is based in New York, music writer William Duignan in Wellington and co music Andy Manning is in Barcelona. The three originally met while performing at Christchurch's Court Theatre. Antonio! premiered in New York and at the Edinburgh Fringe, and has just had its New Zealand premiere on Valentine's Day. It's opened the New Zealand Fringe Festival ahead of playing in March in the Hamilton Arts Festival, at Tamaki Makaurau Auckland's Basement Theatre and the Adelaide Fringe. Back from New York to perform, Ania Upstill joined Culture 101.

    11 min

  7. 5 DAYS AGO

    Bringing the organs to Silo Park

    A new multi-sensory sound performance is debuting at Silo Park in Tāmaki Makaurau. Artist and composer Flo Wilson is drawing inspriations from contemporary organ music and medieval choral traditions in her performance and installation. The six silos will be transformed with six singers and six loudspeakers giving audiences a sense of being inside an organ. The art work is part of the Second Festival of Secret Sounds run by the Audio Foundation. Flo Wilson is now based in Berlin but has returned home to showcase this new piece and spoke to Culture 101.

    15 min

  8. 5 DAYS AGO

    Fast Favourites with Auckland Pride's Hamiora Bailey

    It's Pride Month in Tamaki Makaurau where the LGBTQIA+ community comes together to celebrate diversity and resilience throughout February. The month-long festival features more than 200 events this year with open-access arts, cultural and community events. Along with Big Gay Out and Pride Fest Out West, there's also an exhibition at Season Gallery Aotearoa and Pride Elevates at Q Theatre Loft. Auckland Pride Executive Director, Hāmiora Bailey, joins Culture 101 to play Fast Favourites.

    14 min
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About

Perlina Lau and Mark Amery host a weekly show about creativity and culture in Aotearoa.

Information

  • Channel
    RNZ Radio
  • Creator
    RNZ
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    509
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © (C) Radio New Zealand 2025
  • Show Website
    Culture 101

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