And I’ve been invited into this process, to observe, and to then compose an original soundtrack.
Posts By Michael Shirrefs
Dance Hall
Action Station
Fill The Void
On a cool August night 2021, in the midst of rolling COVID-19 lockdowns, a magical thing happened. A small group of performers managed to stage a performance in a small, rural hall. Against a backdrop of pandemic fear and isolation, this was a strange and wonderful thing to occur. … Continue Reading
Walter Benjamin | proto-multimedia journo?
Walter Benjamin is a name that, for many, will be either familiar or mysterious … or both … often simultaneously. One of the most important intellectual figures of the last century, Benjamin’s writings have given us a critical window onto the psyche of Europe in the early 20th Century, celebrating the birth of European modernism, while also describing the Continent’s descent into Fascism and war. He gave us a new character—the Flâneur—the symbol of a urbanity that had fully detached itself from a pre-modern, rural tradition. … Continue Reading
The fate of the Common Good
Do we still believe in the idea of the common good, a concept that seemed ubiquitous through the 20th Century? This interview, with renowned philosopher Prof. Hans Sluga, seeks to explain what has happened, especially with regard to the diminishing understanding of the foundational role of Common Good within Europe and the European Union.
An end to discord
Music is music, right? But through the middle of the 20th Century, our evolving appetite for innovation took us on some pretty weird detours, especially in the world of classical music. Composers, performers and music departments suddenly went all experimental and seemed to abandon traditional ideas of melody and harmony. And audiences had to come to terms with performances that sounded more like they’d been hatched in science labs. … Continue Reading
Crisis & Creativity—a 4 part radio series
The European Union is struggling. Not just because of Brexit, the GFC, and the arrival of millions of refugees, but because Europe as an idea of fairness, democracy and freedom is under attack. Radical nationalists are using fear of immigration to shift voting patterns around the world, and Europe is the epicentre. But underneath all this there are creative responses, ones that can only happen with a shift in perception and certain childlike belief.
Southern Sun, Aegean Light—The poetry of second-generation Greek-Australian poets
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What does it mean to be a second generation Greek-Australian? How clear is your sense of identity and of belonging? … Continue Reading
Requiems for the 21st Century
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How do requiems help atheists and heathens to grieve in the 21st Century?
… Continue Reading