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Arts & culture
News about visual, literary and performing arts, languages and other aspects of culture
Latest news
29 June 2024
The beginnings of fashion: why do we wear clothes?
From stone tools that prepared animal skins for humans to use as thermal insulation, to the advent of bone awls and eyed needles to create fitted and adorned garments, why did we start to dress to express ourselves and to impress others?
26 June 2024
Consuelo Cavaniglia: seeing through you
For the first time, an artist has been invited to respond to the spectacular internal architecture of the University of Sydney's Chau Chak Wing Museum.
25 June 2024
Bell Shakespeare's new King Lear understands the joy of a good tragedy
Dr Kirk Dodd, lecturer in English, reviews the new King Lear at Bell Shakespeare, directed by Peter Evans and starring one of Australia's finest classical actors, Robert Menzies.
13 June 2024
The new power and politics of comedy
Dr Benjamin Nickl, a humour expert from the School of Languages and Cultures, and his co-author Dr Mark Rolfe, Honorary Lecturer at UNSW, discuss the politicisation of comedy in the new academic book The Moral Dimensions of Humour.
11 June 2024
Is age verification for pornography access reliable? Research suggests no
A new study by Professor Alan McKee and Dr Zahra Stardust (QUT) suggests that age assurance technologies restricting access to pornography are unreliable and ineffective, and that there are better, evidence-based alternatives to facilitate access to diverse and healthy representations of sexuality online.
07 June 2024
The Dispossessed at 50: Ursula K. Le Guin's anarchist utopia endures
Dr Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer in English, discusses the enduring political power of Ursula K. Le Guin's groundbreaking science-fiction novel, The Dispossessed.
07 June 2024
How the Blade Runner soundtrack uses electronic music to explore humanity
Dr Alison Cole, a leading expert on film scores and lecturer in Composition at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, analyses Vangelis' innovative use of electronic music to capture emotion and translate the complexities of the human condition, 30 years on from the release of the 1982 Blade Runner soundtrack.
06 June 2024
Sydney Con composer Paul Mac creates a magical musical ride on Sydney trains
In an Australian first, composer-producer Paul Mac is paying tribute to Sydney's suburban railway system in a project that sees two Sydney train routes turned into a mobile electronic music and light experience: Tekno Train.
05 June 2024
Seven new shows at the Chau Chak Wing Museum
As the University of Sydney's Chau Chak Wing Museum farewells the Biennale of Sydney, it's thrilled to announce a suite of new exhibitions opening in the second half of 2024.
05 June 2024
Australian photographer Rosemary Laing remembered for her sensuous yet unsettling images
Associate Professor Donna Brett, Chair of Art History, pays tribute to Australian photographer Rosemary Laing, remembering her ground-breaking work in the art form, and her unique ability to "make us look".
03 June 2024
The joke's on us - how AI is replicating our laughter online
In an era in which we are increasingly reliant on digital devices and services, laughter can be a potent form of stress and frustration relief, and the tech industry knows it. But can AI genuinely emote a sense of humour, asks Dr Benjamin Nickl from the School of Languages and Cultures.
03 June 2024
New Disney documentary, The Beach Boys, tells the band's story - but not the whole story
Dr Jadey O'Regan, lecturer in Contemporary Music at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, closely examines the new Disney documentary, The Beach Boys, and finds it moving but ultimately lacking in its coverage of the more complex and difficult parts of the band's journey.
31 May 2024
Vivid Sydney's future seems bright, but challenges abound
Vivid Sydney is a globally recognised celebration of light, music and ideas, with each annual program delivering a bigger and brighter range of diverse content that continues to delight audiences. Yet the success of such a massive festival comes with challenges, writes Associate Professor Emrah Baki Ulas from the Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning.
30 May 2024
How Furiosa's silence in the new Mad Max speaks volumes about women's agency
Furiosa deploys strategic silence to cement her status as prize warrior rather than prize breeder in the latest Mad Max saga, a shift that progresses the film's portrayal of women's stories, says Associate Professor in English Rebecca Johinke.
24 May 2024
Professor Tom Calma awarded honorary Doctor of Letters
The renowned advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples has been recognised for his work to shape a better and fairer Australia.
23 May 2024
Age verification for social media: Do kids and parents even want it?
Age verification for social media would impact all of us. Dr Justine Humphry, Dr Catherine Page Jeffery, Dr Jonathon Hutchinson and Dr Olga Boichak from Media and Communications investigate the efficacy and risks of age-checking technologies and whether there are better approaches to mitigating online harms affecting young people.
21 May 2024
Can you control your image? Gina Rinehart, King Charles and 'moral portraits'
From heroic Roman emperors to caricature and King Charles III, Professor Roger Benjamin from Art History discusses Vincent Namatjira's painting of Gina Rinehart and when or if a portrait's subject should have control over the artist's depiction.
20 May 2024
The tentacles of retracted science reach deep into social media. A simple button could change that.
On social media, health myths based on debunked science abound. A new tool could be social media's best defence against misinformation.
17 May 2024
Associate Professor Sophie Gee appointed inaugural Vice-Chancellor Fellow
The University of Sydney has appointed Associate Professor Sophie Gee as inaugural Vice-Chancellor Fellow with a focus on public intellectual discourse and collaboration.
13 May 2024
How travel 'bucket lists' help cancer patients handle life and death
Dr Leah Williams Veazey, Dr Katherine Kenny and Professor Alex Broom from the Sydney Centre for Healthy Societies explore the significance and potential downfalls of bucket lists for cancer patients, and how dreams of adventure change in the face of illness.