Beautiful on the outside … the tragedy of Bennelong Point
This is not an opera house
When the actor John Malkovich appeared in The Giacomo Variations, a chamber-opera bio-play of Giacomo Casanova, at the Sydney Opera House in 2011, he wasn’t exactly seduced by the...
Stephin Merritt brings his ‘50 Song Memoir’ to the Melbourne Festival
Magnetic opus
There aren’t too many rock stars for whom dressing in brown is a trademark. Yet Stephin Merritt’s unvarying sartorial commitment to the colour has been inspiring. In 2008, French...
Meet the team behind the Macquarie Dictionary
Word wranglers
On a recent Monday, in a corner of Pan Macmillan Australia’s offices in Sydney, the Macquarie Dictionary editorial team was mulling over a new word: schapelle –verb (i). to carry...
Video artist Heath Franco is making a name as a provocateur
Shocking art
A few years ago, Australian video artist Heath Franco made a work designed to be displayed in the toilet. The video, installed on the back of the cubicle door, starred Franco...
Nick Schlieper illuminates a Shakespearean tragedy
Lighting the king
The State Opera of South Australia 2004 production of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen began with almost three minutes of utter darkness. The pesky glow of seat markers and air-...
In Sydney, Animal Logic is building a Lego animation empire
Digital bricklayers
On display in the office of Zareh Nalbandian, the CEO of Sydney animation studio Animal Logic, is a handsome chalkboard from a French monastery. When he purchased the chalkboard...
The chimes they are a-changing at the Sydney Opera House
A little foyer music
One piece of music has been heard at the Sydney Opera House more than any other. It is played sometimes dozens of times a day and more than 1000 times a year. The entire...
