Art Smitten
678 episodes - English - Latest episode: 21 days ago -Art Smitten is SYN's weekly guide to arts, culture and entertainment in Australia and around the world. With a focus on youth and emerging arts, we're here to showcase culture ahead of the curve. From our base in Naarm/Melbourne, contributors interview, review, and cover the very best of what the world’s second-most liveable city has to offer. Whether it's film, fashion, photography or Fauvism you're into, Art Smitten is the place!
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Episodes
Interview: Alex De La Rambelje, Gentlemen of Deceit
August 31, 2016 16:38 - 7 minutes - 6.81 MBHosts, Thierry and Adalya, are joined by Alex De La Rambelje, one of the magicians in Gentlemen of Deceit. They talk about his performance on Australia's Got Talent and their upcoming shows at the Sydney Opera House on October 15th and 16th. Tickets available here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Interview: Belinda Campbell, Macbeth - Wit Incorporated
August 31, 2016 15:31 - 6 minutes - 5.52 MBHosts, Adalya and Thierry, interview actor Belinda Campbell about her role as Macbeth in Wit Incorporated's production of Shakespeare's Macbeth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Interview: Peter Houghton, The Beast
August 31, 2016 14:39 - 8 minutes - 7.46 MBHosts, Thierry and Adalya, speak to actor Peter Houghton about Eddie Perfect's new play, The Beast. It's running until September 10th at the Comedy Theatre, 240 Exhibition St, Melbourne. Tickets are available here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Review: Dangerous Liaisons - Little Ones Theatre x Theatre Works
August 31, 2016 10:28 - 2 minutes - 1.97 MBDangerous Liaisons by Little Ones theatre is a theatrical adaption of Pierre Chodelos De Laclos novel. The story takes place in France in the 1700s, It’s a long winding story of revenge and seduction. Two ex lovers have plans for revenge and humiliation; they try to out do each other in an attempt to dominate one another. Little Ones theatre originally staged this in 2014 at MTCs Neon festival, since then it has toured across Australia to Darwin and Brisbane and has won and been nominated f...
Review: My Scientology Movie, Louis Theroux
August 31, 2016 08:13 - 3 minutes - 3.34 MBMy Scientology Movie sees BBC presenter, Louis Theroux, attempt to infiltrate the Church of Scientology, an organisation infamous for being shrouded in secrecy. Curiosity about the mysterious inner workings of the church, along with reports of assault committed by leader, David Miscavige, motivate Theroux’s efforts to understand life inside the Church and why it is so confidential. Since first approaching the Church in 2002, Theroux’s pursuit to gain access to the Church and interview Mis...
Interview: Fairy Turner, Glow Winter Festival Melbourne
August 31, 2016 07:29 - 6 minutes - 5.57 MBHosts Christian and Rachel interview Fairy Turner, the artist behind Disco Bin in the Glow Winter Arts Festival. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Interview: Brian Lipson, Two Jews Walk into a Theatre (Part One)
August 25, 2016 04:56 - 5 minutes - 4.72 MBHosts, Christian and Rachel, are joined in the studio by Brian Lipson, actor in Two Jews Walk into a Theatre, alongside Gideon Obarzanek. Directed by Lucy Guerin, this improvised art installation of the two men impersonating their fathers will be running until the 28th August at the North Melbourne Town Hall, 521 Queensberry Street. Tickets available here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Interview: Brian Lipson, Two Jews Walk into a Theatre (Part Two)
August 25, 2016 04:54 - 7 minutes - 6.44 MBHosts, Christian and Rachel, are joined in the studio by Brian Lipson, actor in Two Jews Walk into a Theatre, alongside Gideon Obarzanek. Directed by Lucy Guerin, this improvised art installation of the two men impersonating their fathers will be running until the 28th August at the North Melbourne Town Hall, 521 Queensberry Street. Tickets available here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Interview: Phil Rouse - The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui x Theatre Works
August 24, 2016 09:12 - 7 minutes - 6.41 MBHosts, Christian and Rachel, are joined by director of Theatre Works' production of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Phil Rouse. Tickets are available at the Theatre Works website. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Interview: Tim Chiang - Australian National Piano Award
August 24, 2016 09:08 - 5 minutes - 5.27 MBHosts, Christian and Rachel, interview Tim Chiang, one of twelve finalists for the 2016 Australian National Piano Award. Running from the 5th-10th September, the recitals will be held at the Eastbank Centre in Shepparton. Tickets are available and you can find out more at the website. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Review: P.O.V. Dave - La Mama
August 24, 2016 09:00 - 3 minutes - 3.35 MBLa Mama’s P.O.V. Dave is essentially a film noir play about a retiring press photographer who gets more than he bargained for with his last assignment. It definitely shows that most of playwright/producer Noel Maloney’s background is in screenwriting as he takes on the kind of story and genre that is much more acquainted with the screen than with the stage. Dave’s profession as a merchant of dirty secrets working for his heartless editor, Bronwyn, has finally driven away his beloved wife, ...
Review: Cholai - Indian Film Festival Melbourne
August 24, 2016 08:58 - 4 minutes - 3.88 MBThere is of course an old adage that comedy equals tragedy, plus time. In the case of Cholai, Arun Roy's black comedy about the Bengali hooch fatalities in 2011, not much time apparently is needed for us to be laughing about the thousands of deaths caused by a bad batch of illegal home liquor. Cholai is the local common name for this strongly addictive, very cheap and very lucrative brew. The Bengali government and law enforcement have been known to turn a blind eye to its distribution, unti...
Review: Spotlight of The Eyes of My Mother, Baskin, Under the Shadow, Fear Itself - MIFF
August 21, 2016 11:38 - 4 minutes - 4.34 MBThe first half of the Melbourne International Film Festival has flown by, and I've already seen some great films like Cosmos, Paterson and The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki. Among the films I've seen, though, there's been a fantastic selection of horror films, and I thought I'd spotlight four of them: three narrative features, all by first-time filmmakers, and a documentary. First up, The Eyes of My Mother. An American film, but with occasional Portuguese dialogue, it's one of the ...
Review: Dangerous Liaisons - Little Ones Theatre
August 21, 2016 11:32 - 6 minutes - 5.96 MB234 years after Pierre Choderlos de Laclos's novel Les liaisons dangereuses was published, and 31 years after the premier production of its stage adaptation by Christopher Hampton, this new production from Little Ones Theatre comes to Melbourne as a fresh and lively piece of contemporary theatre. Those who've studied the novel will certainly appreciate how director Stephen Nicolazzo has captured the sardonic spirit of the French aristocracy, while newcomers will surely be enticed into...
Review: The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki - MIFF
August 21, 2016 11:29 - 1 minute - 1.54 MBNot-so-Raging Bull, Juho Kuosmanen's boxing biopic pulls the gentlest punches it can in telling the story of amateur boxer Olli Mäki, hailing from a small town in Finland and aspiring to not much more. It's warm and personable, and its deliberate type of simplicity is one that more filmmakers should aim for. Affectionately put together, the film has a fantastic grainy black-and-white 16mm aesthetic that perfectly matches its subject. You're immediately drawn into its world when the lovely ...
Review: Kaili Blues - MIFF
August 21, 2016 11:26 - 1 minute - 1.52 MBFirst-time filmmakers seem to either stumble on their feet or find those feet immediately and use them to run away with a superb debut. Such is the case with Bi Gan, a poet-turned-director whose Kaili Blues is a simply staggering first feature. The plot - in short, an uncle searching for a nephew - is central to the understanding of the film and yet absolutely irrelevant. It's a tale of repentance and guilt, of soul-searching and memory... all themes explored through the plot, for sure, bu...
Review: Cosmos - MIFF
August 21, 2016 11:24 - 2 minutes - 2.43 MBWhen I read the book [Witold Gombrowicz’s Cosmos] in preparation for watching the film I was struck by the singular oddness of the writing (albeit a translation) both in style and in content. There were moments when the sheer incessancy of the intricate madness lost me but I battled through and ended up being wholly won over. Three things in particular struck me: the emphasis on the mundane, the staunch surrealism and the never-quite-referencing of the encompassing void of the eponymous co...
Review: 11 Minutes - MIFF
August 21, 2016 11:22 - 2 minutes - 1.95 MBJerzy Skolimowski's career is defined by a healthy disregard for conventional filmmaking. He has always been a punk of the highest order. And it's with total delight that I report that this pedigree is on full display in 11 Minutes. From the beginning, we know we are in the hands of an unhinged master. The menacing pre-titles scrapbook of low-res footage from laptop, phone and security cameras clearly signals his anarchic intent. And it also signals the genre we are being propelled into: t...
Review: Extinction - Red Stitch Theatre
August 20, 2016 10:06 - 4 minutes - 4.43 MBRed Stitch continues their environmentalist theme for the season in Extinction, written by the powerhouse creative talent Hannie Rayson and directed by the critically acclaimed Nadia Tass. On the International Union for Conservation of Nature and natural resources red list (IUCN), Australia is classed as having 35 of its discovered species extinct. The fraught task of resolving this issue, beneath the ever present spectre of national and international environmental strife, is the primary c...
Review: Jump First, Ask Later - Force Majeure x Powerhouse Youth Theatre
August 20, 2016 09:11 - 2 minutes - 2.01 MBJump First, Ask Later is an urban choreographic portrait of the streets of Fairfield in Western Sydney, the most culturally diverse region Australia. The show features 5 young street dancers moving between their stories and dance sequences. Right from the beginning their physical strength and agility is striking and compelling to watch. The opening sequence is a warm up, but unlike any I’ve every seen – it becomes immediately clear that these are very physically strong and talented perform...
Interview: Rory Kelly, Trevor
August 20, 2016 09:03 - 7 minutes - 6.56 MBHosts Beth and Adalya are joined in the studio by Rory Kelly, actor in Red Stitch Theatre's production of Trevor. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Interview: Sebastian Kainey, Future Works
August 20, 2016 05:12 - 7 minutes - 6.96 MBJim Thomas speaks to artist, Sebastian Kainey, about his works showing in the Future Works exhibition at the Brunswick Street Gallery. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Review: Duets - The Stain Theatre Troupe x La Mama Theatre
August 20, 2016 05:03 - 5 minutes - 5.07 MBThere will be some mildly sexual language and content throughout this review. If that might be a problem for you, tune out for the next five minutes or so - but, you'll be missing the breakdown of a great show. A live band of sorts, and performance goes with the music Duets is a show that will probably take you out of your theatre-comfort zone, unless you usually attend shows that include women performing suggestive acts with a banana and a tomato, or men in sequined morph suits gyrating...
Review: The Mill on the Floss - Optic Nerve x Theatre Works
August 10, 2016 08:39 - 6 minutes - 6.07 MBMill on the Floss is a theatrical adaptation by Optic Nerve of the 1860 novel of the same name written by Mary Ann Evans under the pseudonym George Eliot. Optic Nerves adaption of Mill on the Floss was a theatrical re-telling of the story of Maggie Tulliver. This adaption is much the same as the book, it is set in 19th century England, and it spans across 10-15 years of Maggies life starting when Maggie was 9 years old. This story is about the oppression of Maggies imagination, intelligenc...
Review: Kothanodi - Indian Film Festival Melbourne
August 10, 2016 08:33 - 7 minutes - 6.53 MBFor any fans of the fantasy genre, Bhaskar Hazarika's Kothanodi is a great entry point into this year’s Indian Film Festival. For anyone's who's not as keen on swords, dragons and castles, this adaptation of four classic Assamese folk tales is not that kind of fantasy movie. Taken from a compendium entitled Burhi Aair Sadhu (Grandma’s Tales) compiled by Lakshminath Bezbaroa, the stories all have a maternal relationship at their centre and a different harsh truth to deliver about motherhood. ...
Review: The New Girl in Class - Indian Film Festival Melbourne
August 03, 2016 08:17 - 6 minutes - 5.93 MBTo say that The New Girl in Class is the weakest offering of the Indian Film Festival would be something of an understatement. Amrita Dasgupta's documentary on the life of a 9-year-old autistic girl is certainly never boring, but for all of the wrong reasons. The story that Dasgupta wants to tell and the story that she has actually documented are so embarrassingly different that the end result approaches the so-bad-it's-good territory. It is so perfect a manual on how not to represent autism...
Review: Milk Bars
August 03, 2016 08:11 - 4 minutes - 3.87 MBMilk Bars in an installation and performance piece, it is based at The Mechanics Institute in Brunswick by Metanoia Theatre. The installation spread all across the Mechanics Institute, with five spaces and the theatre space being used as a central meeting point and bar that most audience members gravitated towards. The installation ranged from abstract to realistic interpretations of ‘a milk bar’ some were very interesting and beautiful, my favorite was the dressing room of the theatre th...
Interview: Jeff Wortman, Changes: A Theatrical Tribute to the Music of David Bowie
August 03, 2016 08:07 - 6 minutes - 6.4 MBChristian and Beth are joined by Jeff Wortman, lead singer of Robot Child (Waleed Aly’s band) and the Musical Director of the production Changes: Theatrical Tribute to the Music of David Bowie. Changes will be performed until the 6th August at the Gasworks Theatre, 21 Graham St, Albert Park. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Interview: Görkem Acaroglu, Milk Bars
July 27, 2016 05:37 - 13 minutes - 12.4 MBChristian was joined by Görkem Acaroglu, director of live art installation piece, Milk Bars. It will be performed at the Mechanics Institute Brunswick, 270 Sydney Road Brunswick, from the 27th July to the 6th August. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Review: Guernica, Melbourne Ballet Company
July 27, 2016 05:28 - 2 minutes - 2.26 MBGuernica is a two-act ballet inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, set against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War in the nineteen-thirties. The Melbourne Ballet Company’s resident choreographer Simon Hoy brought his unique style of contemporary ballet combined with Prokofiev’s powerful original score. Guernica is part of the Company’s 2016 Premiere Season Intention and Desire. The body of work was inspired by the messages within Picasso’s famous mural of the same name. You w...
Review: Abigail/1702, Boutique Theatre
July 27, 2016 05:28 - 5 minutes - 5.31 MBTo anyone who's been holding out for a good theatrical sequel, Roberto Aguire Sacasa's Abigail/1702 is the latest member of that rare species. Picking up 10 years from the ending of its predecessor, Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Sacasa plucks out Miller's two-faced antagonist, Abigail Williams, and turns her into a very successful protagonist. The past decade has transformed the jealous young girl into a desperately puritanical young woman. Once a fierce denouncer in the Salem witch trials w...
Review: The Servant of Two Masters, La Mama Theatre
July 27, 2016 05:25 - 4 minutes - 4.22 MBTheatre company 'Make a Scene' alongside the La Mama Learning Company are currently presenting their interpretation of Carlo Goldoni's masterpiece 'The Servant of Two Master's. It is showing at Australia La mama theatre in Carlton until July 31st. The cast includes Christian Bagin, Sharon Davis, Roby Favretto, Irene del Pilar, Freya Pragt, Lelda Kapsis and Darcy Kent. Many actors play both a primary and a secondary or extra character, and the lightning quick costume changes became just as ...
Interview: Simon Hoy, Guernica
July 27, 2016 04:09 - 18 minutes - 17.3 MBReviewer, Caroline Tung, is joined by Simon Hoy, Artistic Director and Resident Choreographer at the Melbourne Ballet Company. They discuss the MBC's production of Guernica, based on Pablo Picasso's 1937 war mural and William Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Guide: Melbourne International Film Festival
July 27, 2016 03:55 - 3 minutes - 3.08 MBHello and welcome to the Art Smitten guide to the Melbourne International Film Festival. My name's Ben and I love films a bit too much. If you didn't know, the end of next week is the beginning of over two weeks of the Melbourne International Film Festival – or MIFF – as it takes over many of the screens in the city, and pushes film to the forefront of Melbourne's minds. There’s such a wide array of films in this year’s festival, so there’s bound to be something for everyone. Unless, of ...
Review: Retro Futurismus, fortyfivedonwstairs
July 27, 2016 03:52 - 2 minutes - 2.4 MBRetro Futurismus is a sci-fi cabert, created by Anni and Maude Davey along with Anna Lumb, Gabi Barton and Teresa Blake, with new special guest stars performing every week. Retro Futurismus as been shown all over Australia to much acclaim and is now performing a new season at 45 Downstairs this month. Retro Futurismus transformed 45 down stairs into a feminie sci-fi wonderland. It was a beautiful, welcoming atmosphere, I was greeted by one of the performers and directed to a great seat whe...
Review: Performance Management - In Cabaret
July 27, 2016 03:49 - 2 minutes - 1.95 MBIf you’ve ever felt that your office was one hoop short of a circus, Scott Hollingsworth’s Performance management is the cabaret that will speak to your funny bone. Hollingsworth’s one-man show is an outrageous, unapologetically offensive performance, that highlights the ridiculous in the mundane. The show came back for one night last Sunday, with minor alterations to last year’s performance. Set at the Southern star observation wheel in docklands, Scotts own SHHH Productions presented Per...
Discussion: Abigail/1702
July 27, 2016 03:39 - 8 minutes - 7.76 MBHosts Jim and Christian, along with AP Thierry, discuss Abigail/1702, the sequel to Arthur Miller's The Crucible. Boutique Theatre's production of Abigail/1702, is being performed at the Victorian Trades Hall, 54 Victoria Street Carlton from 14th July to 30th July. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Interview: Samuel Tupou, Duplikator
July 27, 2016 03:29 - 10 minutes - 9.25 MBHosts Jim and Christian were joined in the studio by artist Samuel Tupou, who is opening his new art exhibition, Duplikator. Duplikator will be displayed at the Linden Art Gallery, 26 Acland Street St Kilda, from the 20th July to the 9th October. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Interview: Anthony Weigh, Edward II
July 27, 2016 03:21 - 8 minutes - 7.89 MBHosts Christian and Jim are joined in the studio with playwright, Anthony Weigh, who spoke about his upcoming play Edward II, produced by Malthouse Theatre. It will be performed at the Merlyn Theatre, The Coopers Malthouse, 113 Sturt Street Southbank from the 29th July to the 21st August. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Review: Adama - Australian Centre for the Moving Image x Melbourne International Film Festival
July 20, 2016 03:25 - 5 minutes - 4.72 MBNever underestimate the power of a child's imagination. Children often understand much more than we think about our adult world. When confronted with something complex and scary, they seize upon what they do know and invent like crazy to fill in what they don't know. This is something every great children's storyteller understands, and something that I certainly hope first-time feature director Simon Rouby never loses sight of. His debut, Adama, takes on the task of showing the horrors of th...
Review: Heathen - Mailbox Art Space
July 20, 2016 02:38 - 5 minutes - 4.68 MBI had never been to the Mailbox Art Space prior to their current exhibition, Heathen. Of 'Heathen', the promotional shots of the works gave me the impression of huge canvases filled with extravagant, thought provoking watercolours. After getting mildly lost in my own city looking for a gallery space on flinders lane, myself and a friend realised that we had to go up a flight of stairs tucked away at the 141-143 Flinders Lane Pawson House heritage building. The stairs were choked with pe...
EXQUISITE CORPSE STORY - Season 2 2016
July 11, 2016 05:59 - 3 minutes - 3.33 MBThe moment you have all been waiting for – the line-by-line story created by this season’s Art Smitten guests IS FINALLY UNVEILED! Da da duuuuuum. Read aloud by Lauren Klein: Starting line: Sitting in a crowded cafe, he checked his watch anxiously… Omrane Khuder: He then noticed that his date was running late Paul Knox, Hannah Vanderheide and Jorge Tsipos: He knew she couldn’t be, because of the thing they had discussed. It had been a long discussion with many twists and turns. As he p...
Host Discussion: TED Talk - K-Pop
July 11, 2016 05:48 - 3 minutes - 3.23 MBIf you had to conduct a TED talk RIGHT NOW, what would it be on? What is your specialist/niche knowledge area? Well for host Erin, her TED talk would be about K-Pop from 2009 - 2013! Erin even teaches Lauren some handy Korean phrases. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Interview: Declan Greene, Conviction
July 11, 2016 05:45 - 14 minutes - 13.3 MBHosts Lauren and Erin were joined in the studio with former SYNner DECLAN GREENE – the director and dramaturg of the world premiere show CONVICTION, “a caustically funny examination of contemporary feminism and self-authorship”. Declan is also the 2016 Resident Artist at the Malthouse Theatre. CONVICTION is being performed at the Northcote Town Hall, Main Hall 189 High Street Northcote starting the 21st July to 6th August. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Review: Revolting and Ridiculous - A Roald Dahl Retrospective
July 11, 2016 02:01 - 11 minutes - 10.4 MBChristian and Andrew review The Wheeler Centre’s one night only event Revolting and Ridiculous: A Roald Dahl Retrospective. The event took place at the Athenaeum Theatre on July 7th. "This year marks the 100th anniversary of Roald Dahl’s birth – so the Wheeler Centre will get revolting and ridiculous on stage with guests including Andy Griffiths, Jess McGuire, Kate McLennan, Tim Rogers, Anna Burke and more. They’ll wax nostalgic, perform extracts from Dahl’s vast body of work, delve into ...
Review: Hitchcock/Truffaut & Dial M for Murder
July 11, 2016 01:56 - 6 minutes - 5.94 MBThe 1966 book Hitchcock/Truffaut was as intriguing and exciting a read as its title suggested. Based on Francois Truffaut's 8-day interview with Alfred Hitchcock, it offered readers the chance to feel like a fly on the wall for the meeting of two of the most avant-garde film directors of the decade. At the time of their meeting at Hitchcock's Universal Studios office in 1962, the British auteur had recently released his fortieth feature, the hugely successful Psycho, while the young man from...
Review: Courage To Kill, La Mama Theatre
July 11, 2016 01:49 - 4 minutes - 4.04 MBLa Mama Theatre is an ideal place to host the Australian premiere production of Lars Noren’s Courage to Kill. This tense two-hander, sometimes three-hander, from Sweden’s most celebrated playwright definitely works best in an intimate venue. It is one of those many plays that take place entirely in a domestic setting, in this case inside a young man’s apartment that he is forced to share with his father. While in some plays this makes the home seem like a bigger, grander place for having bee...
Review: Cut The Sky, Marrugeku Theatre
July 11, 2016 01:46 - 3 minutes - 2.91 MBCut The Sky is a dance theatre work by Marrugeku Theatre. It is in interdisciplinary work combining dance, video, poetry and song. Cut The Sky is part of the ‘Performing Climates’ for the Performance Studies International Conference or PSI hosted by Arts House. This year PSI is in Melbourne and it focus is on making conversations and exploring climate change though the lens of performance. Cut The Sky is an intercultural exploration of how climate change is affecting the earth. It explores...
Review: Come Away with Me to the End of the World, Ranters Theatre
July 11, 2016 01:41 - 3 minutes - 3.23 MBCome Away with Me to the End of the World by Ranters theatre was a series of conversations between nameless characters on stage. The actors seemed to be playing nobody or themselves - they talked of seemingly random things like their trip to Japan or the Italian dance classes they were taking, or meeting someone while going for a morning jog. Some of these conversations were mundane or even boring, some were absurd and surreal, some were long and winding, some were very short, and some conve...
Review: Our Kind of Traitor
July 11, 2016 01:29 - 4 minutes - 4.29 MBOur Kind of Traitor may well be the least confusing film adaptation of a John le Carré novel that we are ever going to see. If you enjoy political thrillers but don't exactly the have the head for real, convoluted espionage, Susanna White's film is sure to be the thing for you. Unlike the rather cold and brittle Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, this story of a man about to inform on the Russian mafia has a much stronger human element, one that often even takes precedence over the political machina...