Culture 101
Episodes
Arts news for 28 July 2024
28 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Arts News for 28 July 2024
Regional Wrap: New Plymouth with Simon Gennard
28 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Culture 101 puts the spotlight on a different region in Aotearoa every Sunday and this week we’re in New Plymouth, Taranaki.
Opening the door on the history of lesbian fashion
28 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
From Sappho, to Sweden’s Queen and the Suffragettes, Unsuitable is the first book of its kind, spanning centuries and continents, uncovering the oft...
Don’t you forget about me: The art of Gen X with Megan Dunn
28 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
They’ve been dubbed ‘the MTV generation’ and the ‘Forgotten generation’ (though now they’re in power: ‘forgotten no more’ we say). The...
The magic and mystery of the human experience in genre-bending show
28 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s described as genre-bending, bespoke and immersive - a show you can’t fit into one category.
Fast Favourites: Drag king superstar Hugo Grrrl
28 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hugo Grrrl keeps rather busy. He’s a fulltime drag artist - not just performing, but MCing, producing, writing and providing opportunities for the n...
Dream Chambers: Contemporary music as a spiritual practice
21 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dream Chambers is the moniker of the multifaceted artist Jess Chambers, a composer, performer, and cofounder of the Pōneke electronic music collectiv...
Author Talia Marshall’s stunning debut - Whaea Blue
21 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Talia Marshall (Ngāti Kuia, Rangitāne o Wairau, Ngāti Rārua, Ngāti Takihiku) is a gifted writer but a reluctant one. While most debut authors ref...
Immersive digital artwork brings Wellington weather to life
21 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s an intersection of technology, art, science and music in a new digital immersive installation at The Grid Artspace in Wellington. Rivers of Win...
New musical draws on temptation of a past love
21 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s the torturous question of “what if?” - that sliding doors moment which can haunt people. It’s the premise of a new New Zealand musical Wh...
Dame Lynley Dodd: 'I didn’t really have courage about writing'
21 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Legendary and beloved author, Dame Lynley Dodd, is hoping a new award will give a fellow writer a boost of confidence - similar to a gift she received...
Fast Favourites with stage and screen actor Bronwyn Turei
21 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Stage and screen actor Bronwyn Turei has been appearing on stage at Circa Theatre this month playing not one, but five different character’s in a re...
Author and poet Warwick Stubbs on why he chooses to live in his car
14 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Author and poet Warwick Stubbs wrote his new book, Two Left Feet in public libraries, park benches and in his vehicle and in local writing workshop...
Making of Madam: Sex work on the small screen
14 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
NZ’s latest comedy offering, Madam, is putting the spotlight on sex work. Based on the soon-to-be published memoir by Antonia Murphy, who ran an eth...
Regional Wrap: Kerikeri’s Gerry Paul
14 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Each week, Culture 101 puts the spotlight on a different part of Aotearoa and this week, we’re in Northland visiting KeriKeri.
Drag superstar Anita Wigl’it celebrates lust and gluttony for K’ Road restaurant month
14 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nick Hall is the co-owner of Caluzzi Cabaret Auckland’s original Drag Queen cabaret show and one of New Zealand's most recognisable Queens, Drag Sup...
Badjelly the Witch takes to the stage with Aotearoa’s Glow Show
14 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This School Holidays Spike Milligan's classic tale Badjelly the Witch takes the stage. Creative Director of The Glow Show, Sarah Burren handmade all t...
PickPath - Immersive digital platform empowering creators
14 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
PickPath has been working with Te Papa, Taranaki Winter Festival and Barbarian Productions in the past few years and are now taking the platform to th...
Fast Favourites with broadcaster Kanoa Lloyd
14 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
TV presenter Kanoa Lloyd is preparing to immerse herself in the world of yoga training.
Lisa Warrington: Supporting Aotearoa theatre past, present and future
07 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dunedin teacher, academic, director, producer, actor and author, Lisa Warrington reflects on her longstanding advocacy for Aotearoa New Zealand drama...
Dame Fiona Kidman: Live Letters at Randell Cottage
07 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dame Fiona Kidman is borrowing the words of other writers to Raise the roof for Randell Cottage: Live Letters. While not associated with the British ...
Regional Wrap: Waiheke Island’s Fiona Blanchard
07 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Each week, Culture 101 puts the spotlight on a different part of Aotearoa and this week, we’re on the island of Waiheke.
Archeologist pinpoints the start of fashion
07 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Researchers at the University of Sydney are suggesting eyed needles were used to adorn clothing for social and cultural purposes, marking the shift fr...
Flash Fiction: Storytelling for the short attention spans of our time?
07 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Some say attention spans are not what they were. We scroll images and film and shuffle songs. Even cricket games can be over in 40 overs. So, could ...
Sense and Sensibility on stage in raucous spin
07 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sisters, suitors and swooning - the Dashwood family is getting a raucous spin in this latest iteration of Sense and Sensibility at Circa Theatre.
Fast Favourites with chemist and comedian Dr Joel Rindelaub
07 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A chemist and now a comedian (naturally), Dr Joel Rindelaub has been swapping the classroom for comedy clubs with his show Science Is No Joke. He firs...
Remembering the first times: Harry Rickett's memoir
30 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Harry Ricketts joins RNZ’s Culture 101 to discuss First Things, a memoir of this much loved writer and teacher’s childhood and early adulthood. Hi...
Weaving culture together in Ōtepoti Dunedin: Margery Blackman
30 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s not possible to consider modern textiles in Aotearoa New Zealand without encountering the advocacy, research, curation and art of weaver Marger...
Arts news: Drag king storytime cancelled and 2025 touring artists
30 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Arts news for Sunday June 30
Regional Wrap: Trains and pots in Coromandel Town with Pete Sephton
30 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Pete Sephton was a friend of Barry Brickell's and is a trustee of Driving Creek. He's a screen print artist, very involved in the annual Coromandel Ar...
Mixed heritage creatives collaborate in landmark anthology
30 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A landmark anthology Everything That Moves, Moves Through Another brings together the experiences of 27 mixed heritage creatives across Aotearoa.
Thelma & Louise Don’t Die: Epic road trip hits the Civic
30 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The famous buddy road trip film Thelma and Louise is taking on a different life at the Civic Theatre in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland this month. Best fri...
John Baxter: Rua Pōtae - he who wears two hats
23 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As the son of two of our most lauded writers, the late JC Sturm and James K Baxter, John Baxter (Taranaki, Te Whakatōhea) has long had hats to wear ...
To deal with body shame, Mandi Lynn turned 300 women gold and photographed them nude
23 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A conversation with her five-year-old niece prompted Mandi Lynn to explore body shaming in a photo exhibition and short documentary.
Arts News: Education ministry shares cryptic Sam Hunt, landmark Māori film premieres and Centrepoint is 50
23 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Arts news for 23 June 2024
Regional Wrap: Napier's Lizzie Russell
23 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lizzie Russell is the Owner/Operator of Tennyson Gallery in Ahuriri Napier. A beautiful spot in an art deco building on the corner of an iconic street...
Listening to the world in and around you: Laurence Fearnley at the Grand Glacier Hotel
23 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ōtepoti Dunedin author Laurence Fearnley’s absorbing new novel At the Grand Glacier Hotel is, impressively, her thirteenth. In its pages Fearnley ...
Arts news: 114,000 Singaporean shimmer discs, NZ at the film fest and our new governors
16 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Arts news for 16 June 2024
Was the vinyl record the most significant artwork of the 20th century?
16 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Dead C guitarist Bruce Russell along with graphic designer and pedal steel guitar player, Luke Wood, has released a rich book of essays called A R...
Emele Ugavule: Storytelling and the vitality of contemporary Melanesian culture
16 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Melanesia is a rich cultural region. It holds the largest Indigenous population in the Pacific, and has more languages than all of Europe. Vanuatu has...
Regional Wrap: Kawatiri Westport with The Nomad
16 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For Daimon Schwalger aka artist and celebrated electronic artist The Nomad, moving to Kawatiri Westport on Te Wai Pounamu South Island’s West Coast ...
Compelling documentary reveals lives of Chinese dissidents in US
16 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Doc Edge Festival is kicking off in Aotearoa from 19 June starting in Ōtautahi Christchurch. It’ll make its way to Auckland and Wellington befo...
Arts study in Australian farming town leads to lower depression rates and blood pressure
16 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A small farming town in South Australia has been on a mission to show art can improve health and well-being.
Pianette Automatique: Minipiano given new life in Wellington winter garden
16 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Back in the early 1930s, the pianette was briefly an Art Deco home sensation. Now a band of enthusiasts have revived the instrument by converting i...
Fast Favourites: Comedian Courtney Dawson’s rise to the top
16 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Courtney Dawson (Ngāti Kurī/ Ngāti Amaru) broke into the comedy world just five years ago but has steadily been working her way to the top.
Arts news: A double whammy, Kings arts honours and Pito One
09 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Arts news for Sunday 9 June.
Legendary advocate for Māori art Elizabeth Ellis
09 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The late art historian Jonathan Mane Wheoki has referred to Te Tai Tokerau in the North as the crucible of Māori art. Such were the number of ground...
A View From A Bridge: Strangers reveal all on old telephone
09 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you were to speak into an old telephone - what would you say? London-based artist, Joe Bloom has been finding out. A View From A Bridge offers str...
Regional Wrap: Russell with Sue Fitzmaurice
09 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Each week, Culture 101 puts the spotlight on a different region in Aotearoa for the weekly Regional Wrap. This week we’re in Russell - Kororāreka. ...
Derek Jarman's cottage as his final work of art
09 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As painter Claude Monet's garden and house in Giverny is to France, beloved artist and filmmaker Derek Jarman's garden and house is, in a more contemp...
Australian sculptor reclaiming the female form
09 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
An Australian sculptor is reclaiming the female form through her woodwork.
First Wave: Celebrating surfing in Kaikōura
09 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kaikōura is celebrating 60 years of surfing in a new long-term exhibition at their museum Wharenga - First Wave. Known for whale watching, wildlife a...
Jodie Rimmer: Valuing women as ‘wild, sexy, talented and creative as they age’
09 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In Kathryn Burnett’s new solo comedy play, Nicola Cheeseman is Back, Nicola is sick of trying to do it all. In an all too familiar situation for tho...
Making live events accessible for everyone
02 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s not all online: live events are often where we come together as communities, sharing passions and considering the issues concerning us. It’s ...
Kiwiana icon Pāua shell house goes digital
02 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A new generation and those who never made it as far as Bluff can now discover this country’s iconic Pāua Shell House in an online virtual tour.
Regional Wrap: Tūrangi Tongariro district
02 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Tūrangi Tongariro region, at the spectacular southern end of Lake Tāupo bordering the Volcanic Plateau, is midway between Wellington and Aucklan...
Medieval to Metal: The Art and Evolution of the Guitar
02 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
From the ancient oud to the electric axe, the Martin acoustic to the Fender Stratocaster, American National Guitar Museum touring exhibition Medieval ...
The Tardis has landed: A special mystery guest reviewer visits Doctor Who exhibition
02 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
From hanging out with Daleks and Weeping Angels to the many different iterations of the sonic screwdriver - costumes, props, gadgets and gizmos from t...
Play captures adoption experiences of birth mothers in NZ
02 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A documentary theatre piece is giving the stage to stories held onto for decades. The adoption experiences of birth mothers in the 1950s and 1960s in ...
Fast Favourites: Billy T winner Lana Walters
02 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Comedian and writer Lana Walters has won the Billy T Award for 2024, New Zealand’s premiere comedy award.
Arts news: Poppy at Cannes, Goths on stage & Māori climate action in paint
26 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Arts news for the 26 May 2024 on Culture 101.
Rising algorithms: The threats and opportunities AI poses to the arts
26 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In Pōneke Wellington this week artists, technologists, and critical thinkers have been exploring together questions around machine learning and artif...
The story behind the AI image that shocked the world
26 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Boris Eldagsen became the most notorious artist in the world last year, after winning an award at one of the world's biggest photography competitions ...
Regional Wrap: The world’s steampunk capital
26 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Each week, Culture 101 puts the spotlight on a different region in Aotearoa for the weekly Regional Wrap. This week we’re in the steampunk capital o...
Photographer captures grim reality of 'last chance tourism'
26 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As global warming continues, many parts of the world including natural wonders and island countries are at risk of damage or disappearing. This has le...
The hands behind iconic Crown Lynn hit the stage
26 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Te Pou Theatre’s latest offering puts a spotlight on the wāhine factory workers behind the iconic Crown Lynn crockery.
Diversifying video games through creative writing
26 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Gamers with a passion for creative writing can merge their interests in Aotearoa's only creative writing paper dedicated to video games.
From Princess Chelsea to Nan Goldin: Fast Favourites with Ebony Lamb
26 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Pōneke Wellington based Ebony Lamb has the distinction of having developed two parallel acclaimed careers: as a singer-songwriter and as a photograph...
Arts news: A Rita Angus bridge, controversial portraits & the book awards
19 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Arts news for 19 May 2024
Best of the Fest: Auckland Writers Festival
19 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Auckland Writers Festival has set central Tāmaki Makaurau abuzz this week with a strong lineup of leading local and international authors, panel...
Bringing an indigenous house of storytelling alive in Ōtautahi: Juanita Hepi
19 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Te Whare Tapere in the Christchurch Arts Centre is neither a European-style gallery or theatre. As a space principally by Māori, for Māori, it is, s...
Feeling icky: What makes us uncomfortable with Viki Moananu
19 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You know those embarrassing uncomfortable thoughts and feelings you have you usually keep inside? Pōneke playwright and comedian Viki Moananu uses th...
Gore: Capital of country music and moonshine with Jenny Mitchell
19 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Gore is quite rightly known as our Capital of country music. But there’s always been much more going on culturally in this East Southland town.
Finding a city's memory in the rubble of Chernobyl
19 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Vast exclusion zones operate around the cities of Pripyat, near the ruined Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, and Plymouth, on the Caribbean is...
Joika: The brutal world of the Bolshoi ballet
19 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The notoriously punishing, elite world of the Moscow Bolshoi Ballet Academy is centre stage in Joika - the first ever film collaboration between New Z...
Practising Hawaiian culture across the sea: Ahilapalapa Rands
19 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Over 100 years ago artist Ahilapalapa Rands’ great-grandfather, the ukulele virtuoso Ernest Ka’ai wrote the song ‘Across the Sea’, the lyrics ...
Fast Favourites: Rhys Mathewson’s 10th rodeo
19 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A professional in the comedy scene for more than a decade now, Rhys Mathewson knew he was going to pursue comedy as a career after taking part in Clas...
Rick Rudd: creating New Zealand's only museum devoted to the ceramic arts
12 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ten years ago acclaimed potter Rick Rudd sold his house - together with its unique native and sculpture garden - in Castlecliff, Whanganui to establ...
Creating Aotearoa's own Watership Down: Shelley Burne-Field
12 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Aotearoa New Zealand is a land of birds. Yet contemporary fiction providing a bird’s eye view has been slow to arrive. While Catherine Chidgey’...
Regional Wrap: Kaitaia with Dr Opeloge Ah Sam
12 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s Regional Wrap we look at the culture of Far North town Kaitaia.
Bailey Poching: Here are the Māori comedians - but where are you looking for them?
12 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In an article on Stuff in 2019, comedian Guy Williams posed the question, “Where are all the Māori comedians?” Williams noted that, despite our m...
Amah: AI nanny pushes a mother to her limits
12 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A psychological thriller, part of TVNZ’s Motherhood Anthology Series has been released in time for Mother’s Day. The film’s title Amah holds th...
Getting over writer’s block: Fast Favourites with Troy Kingi
12 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
10 albums in 10 years in 10 different genres - that was Troy Kingi’s goal. But after the release of the seventh album - 2023’s ambient instrumenta...
Don McGlashan and Harry Sinclair’s ode to farting wins NZ on Air Award
05 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The 2024 NZ Children’s Music Awards have been announced with the NZ On Air Best Children’s Music Video awarded to a two minute ode to flatulence. ...
Arts News - 5 May 2024
05 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Arts News for 5 May 2024
How the fight against Covid became a war between each other: Stuart McKenzie and Dame Miranda Harcourt
05 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In early 2021 writer Stuart McKenzie and director Miranda Harcourt’s verbatim play Transmission opened to sell-out houses at Pōneke’s small, dyn...
Project Prima Volta: A decade of helping teenagers to find their voices
05 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Festival Opera is celebrating 10 years of introducing, training and supporting young people in the opera through the Project Prima Volta community pro...
Regional Wrap: Mangawhai with Angela Cook
05 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Known for its surf and beaches, Mangawhai may not strike you as a hub for arts and culture. But locals are extremely proud of the modern museum which ...
The Last Laugh but first-ever comedy club in Hamilton
05 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hamiltonians are getting the last laugh as the first-ever comedy club in the city is opening this month. Coinciding with the Comedy Festival, Last Lau...
From a Red Mole to a Goblin in a mask: John Davies addresses our shared violent history
05 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Actor, director and writer John Davies is celebrating 50 years in theatre with a national solo tour. Te Tupua - The Goblin is travelling to 16 regiona...
With City Gallery closing for two years, what's next for Wellington?
05 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The closure of the City Gallery building won't stop it from bringing art to the capital, its boss says.
Arts news: NZSO head resigns, World Choir Games news & Springboard artists revealed
28 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Arts news for Sunday 28 April 2023
Stitching bling, satin & velvet into Toi Māori with Maungarongo Te Kawa
28 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The large wall hung quilts of takatāpui fabric artist and storyteller Maungaronga Te Kawa (Ngāti Porou) leap and sparkle as joyous dance. They are b...
Fixing a screen industry in crisis
28 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
New Zealand’s local production and screen industry is in crisis. But how did it get to this point? “It’s been years of international streamin...
Taupō: a secretly prolific arts hub with Jeffrey Addison
28 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Each week, Culture 101 puts the spotlight on a different region in Aotearoa and this week it’s Taupō with artist, musician, composer, puppeteer and...
Sir Roger Hall and the end of summer time
28 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sir Roger Hall remains Aotearoa New Zealand’s most popular playwright. Since 1976 his plays have often been box office gold. Now 85, and continui...
Arovision: NZ's little battler in the digital streaming wars
28 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week King Loser, an independent Aotearoa New Zealand documentary won the Taite Music Prize for music journalism. Directors Cushla Dillon and Andr...
From aquatic algae to Niuean rites of passage: Loading Docs back for 10th season
28 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s the 10th season of Loading Docs - an initiative to showcase Aotearoa’s documentary filmmakers. For a decade, it’s helped mentor emerging ...
The return of Auē: fast favourites with Becky Manawatu
28 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s rare for an Aotearoa New Zealand writer to appear at book festivals about a novel, months out from its release. But then the sequel to a book ...
Arts News: NZ wins Golden Lion at Venice while Israel keeps its doors closed, Aardman Animation in NZ & government talks arts strategy
21 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Arts news for Sunday 21 April 2024