Tag: Melbourne University

Uni of Melbourne’s got new Cultural Precinct Program

Melb Uni

Melbourne’s cultural scene is about to be enhanced with a fresh and engaging program of public shows announced by the University of Melbourne Arts and Culture (UMAC). Set on the bustling Parkville campus, both students and the wider community are in for a treat as they will have the opportunity to partake in a year-long schedule of inspiring performances and exhibitions. UMAC, an initiative under the University of Melbourne, has been established to reinforce the institution’s commitment to the performing arts. Its mission is to offer a diverse range of arts experiences that will not only enrich student life but also engage with the wider public throughout the year. According to Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Michael Wesley, this expansion reflects the University’s enduring support and celebration of the performing arts, creating a platform to showcase both local and international talents right within the campus grounds. The new Arts & Cultural Building, home to the Union and Guild Theatres, is at the heart of this precinct, accompanied by the beautifully renovated Building 189 and the open-air Amphitheatre. The precinct’s advantageous location near the No. 1 Swanston Street tram stop and Lygon Street, together with its award-winning design, positions it as a marquee destination for performance and art lovers in Melbourne. With Virginia Lovett at the helm as the Performing Arts Director, UMAC promises to deliver major contemporary works and activate the cultural spaces situated in CBD North. Patrons can look forward to an annual program that promises to be as rich in variety as it is in… Read More

What is human perfection? Melbourne Uni takes a look with its new art commission

First Commission

Melbourne University is doing something interesting with art. They’ve given 30 emerging artists the chance to work across three locations, alongside some of the world’s most famous works of art – all without as much as a brief. A challenge? Yes, but one the artists whose own take on creativity and the historical beauty of so many of the pieces they work alongside, have proven great inspiration for the projects they undertook. Called First Commissions, the Uni’s project is purposed to present these 30 unique responses from the artistic troupe. It asked them to reinterpret world-changing historical commissions for the present moment, all of which were pretty broadly reaching; Think, the Titanic to Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty, to Michaelangelo’s David, a vision of human perfection. In fact, five of the 30 artists worked with David, working back from the finished product to create pieces that told the story of being a person in the modern day. Through each of their five disciplines, Esther Stewart, Aboriginal Australian visual artist Ashley Perry choreographer and dancer Jack Riley, interactive composer Samuel Kreusler and classical composer Danna Yun, churned out works that did just that. The University of Melbourne was able to launch the project at the statue of David in Florence, from where the exhibition will then make its way to Melbourne, taking place over Open House weekend (27-28 July) in the Martyn Myer Arena on the University of Melbourne Southbank campus. The exhibition will include 30 works responding to the 7 commissions and involve over 100 emerging artists… Read More