Surgical makeovers might seem a modern phenomenon but they have a long and disturbing history: from 16th century skin grafts done without anaesthesia to reductions of “primitive” large breasts.
Sarah Kanake and her brother Charlie.
Author supplied.
Characters with Down syndrome are extremely rare in novels and rarer still are stories written from their point of view. But people with disabilities have an equal right to belong in narrative fiction.
Michael Hutchence bought name recognition to Dogs in Space.
The Making of Dogs in Space
Richard Lowenstein’s 1986 film Dogs in Space was a punk circus/social document that alienated many. But on the film’s 30th anniversary, it seems the world has caught up with it and a new audience of fans has emerged.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens has been praised for avoiding computer generated effects, but why does CGI deserve such a bad name?
Image courtesy of Lucasfilm.
A growing vocal minority blame poor computer generated images for ‘ruining’ the movies. But digital effects can co-exist with real sets and stunts - and films have always been fake.
Let’s critique the literary canon, but we shouldn’t throw the Brontës out with the bathwater.
The Brontë Sisters, by Patrick Branwell Brontë, circa 1834.
Like it or not, the literary canon is part of the cultural capital of the West. Universities that choose not to teach it – or refuse to critically engage with it – are actually disempowering students.
Malcolm is erudite and charming, but that doesn’t translate into a better deal for artists.
Mick Tsikas
Is a formal apology to the 1978 Mardi Gras marchers warranted? Some understanding of the oppressive social conditions affecting the lives of sexual minorities in Australia in that era is required.
New York Fashion Week has grown from its humble second world war roots into a cultural juggernaut.
Carlo Allegri/Reuters
New York Fashion week starts today and the world will watch outrageous designs strut down the runway. How did New York become one of the great fashion centres of the modern world?
Kanye functions as a mirror for the most visible and occasionally garish values of his time.
Charles Platiau/ Reuters
Many have long forgotten the simple fact that Kanye West is one of the greatest producers of hip-hop in its history. A decade-long six-album streak of critically acclaimed albums rivals the greatest icons of pop.
At the time of publication, Emma’s longevity was far from guaranteed.
The Shopping Sherpa
At the time of publication, the longevity of Jane Austen’s fifth novel Emma was far from guaranteed. And yet, 200 years later, it now seems immortal. This is the story of its remarkable life.
Memoirists who write about divorce, addiction or suicide can start important conversations – and leave families feeling exposed or humiliated. Where do you draw the line?
fosa./Flickr
True stories that enrich our public sphere are often drawn from the intimate and shared lives of their authors. Where is the line between rattling social proprieties and respecting others’ privacy?
What effect might AI have on an activity like art-making?
Timely Alex
The field of computational creativity examines the mechanisms by which technology can perform creative tasks, particularly in the arts. How can software create works of beauty, value and meaning?
The virgin birth at the heart of Christianity has many corresponding versions in other ancient traditions.
Detail from a panel by Conrad von Soest, 1403. Wikimedia Commons
Biblical scholars and theologians have long discussed, debated and disputed the virgin birth of Jesus, with some arguing that there is no imperative to link it to the doctrine of the Incarnation.
The cultural context in which class, ethnic and racial tensions explode into open violence must be analysed honestly.
AAP Image/Paul Miller
Australia’s key foundation stories have a narrative arc based on the slow simmering of social tension and anxiety culminating in an explosive release of group hostility. Was Cronulla any different?
The marketing of Australian art largely remains a provincial exercise within a global art environment.
Image: Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, 2015. AAP Image/NEWZULU/THINKING MEDIA
Despite rhetoric positioning Australia as a clever and creative country, its artists, particularly in the visual arts, are doing it tough, and things are progressing from bad to worse. Why is that?
Honorary (Senior Fellow) School of Culture and Communication University of Melbourne. Editor in Chief, Design and Art of Australia Online, The University of Melbourne