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Finding beauty in the everyday

Lin Martin is passionate about the connections between science, nature, humanity and Buddhism, all of which come together in her art. Her photographs explore the beauty all around us, in our everyday natural surroundings. It is in these small moments captured by her work, where she draws attention to tiny details in nature, ...

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Dreaming about Country

Discover the rich and beautiful world of Edwin Lee Mulligan's dreams, recorded in paintings and stories. In this clip on his work 'Ngarlimbah - it's about us', he tells one of his dreams of Country - his country, his mother's country and his father's country - the places, trees, mountains, rivers and creatures that connect ...

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Conrad Martens: 'View from Rose Bank' 1840

Many early artists romanticised the Australian colonial landscape and did not always strictly paint what they saw. In this example Martens has given the landscape a decidedly Italian atmosphere, softening the colour palate and creating a more ‘civilised' view. Can you think of why the artist may be interested in changing ...

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The Sydney Bird Painter: 'The white gallinule' c. 1791-92

Can you imagine what it would have been like to arrive in Australia and see its unique flora and fauna for the first time? Scientific drawings of Australia's flora and fauna emerged with the arrival of the first European settlers who were fascinated by how unusual they were. Sadly, even as they documented these extraordinary ...

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Discover the most powerful section of the orchestra!

Can you name the four instruments that make up the brass section of the orchestra? Like musicians in the woodwind section, the brass players power their instruments with air. But how do they do this differently?

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What is Music?: What makes the music of Star Wars so iconic?

Star Wars begins with the biggest B-flat chord you’ve ever heard! John Williams’s fanfare is so iconic that people usually recognise what they’re watching without even looking at the screen. So, what informs the music and makes it so powerful? What techniques can you apply in your own compositions?

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What is Music?: What makes an effective AFL club song?

AFL songs are among the most widely recognised and popular pieces of music in Australia, sung proudly year after year. Would it surprise you to find out they’re rarely original? Discover the early 20th-century origins of most of Australia’s football chants and the stylistic features that make them so effective in energising ...

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BTN: Tiwi music: Keeping an ancient culture alive

Discover how music and dance are helping to keep the traditions of the Tiwi people alive. The customs and stories of the Tiwi people have been passed on to new generations through storytelling, song and dance. Many of the remaining languages of Australia's ancient Indigenous cultures are being lost. Today there is a race ...

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Making a Mini-documentary, Ep 1: Basic equipment for filming a video documentary

What basic equipment do you need to film a short video documentary? Catherine Marciniak and Benj Binks from ABC Open show you some useful cameras and other equipment, and give you some handy tips on how to use them. This is one of eight clips on making a mini-documentary.

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Can you hear the famous rhythm?

Beethoven was a composer who lived about 200 years ago. Have a listen as the orchestra plays one of his most well known pieces of music. Do you recognise it? Can you hear Beethoven's famous rhythm being repeated in the music?

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Listen to music inspired by paintings

This piece of music is called ""Pictures at an Exhibition"". It was written by a Russian composer called Mussorgsky. He was inspired to write this piece of music when he went to see his friend's paintings in an exhibition. As you listen to the orchestra playing the music, perhaps you can imagine you are walking through ...

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Creating art and meaning from waste

Welcome to Marina DeBris's exhibition, "Beach Couture: A Haute Mess". How would you describe Marina's art? What are the ideas she communicates through her artworks? How do the processes, materials and techniques Marina works with contribute to the creation of meaning in her art? Do you agree with Marina's belief that art ...

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Dancing the Torres Strait winds to life: Kuki

Inspired by the natural environment, Torres Strait Islander choreographer Elma Kris created the dance 'About' as an expression of the effects that the winds (Gub) have on the land, sea and community. This clip shows the segment 'Kuki' (pronounced Cook-ee), which is inspired by the strong north-west winds that blow between ...

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Introducing the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra's woodwind section

What do the instruments in the woodwind section of the orchestra have in common? Can you make a list of all the instruments in this section? Some of them might be familiar, but some of them might be new to you. Choose one of the instruments that's new to you and do some research to find out more about it.

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What is a vibraphone?

Have you heard of the vibraphone? Learn all about this percussion instrument in this animation. What is it made of? How is it similar to other percussion instruments?

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The Chicken Hawk and the Crow

The Wuyaliya and Mambaliya clans of the Yanyuwa people live on the Gulf Coast of the Northern Territory, in and around Borroloola. The Wuyaliya clan are custodians of the Chicken Hawk Dreaming, while the Crow Dreaming belongs to the Mambaliya. In this fast-moving animation, the Chicken Hawk and the Crow argue over water ...

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Eugene von Guérard: 'North-east view from the northern top of Mount Kosciusko' 1863

In this landscape Eugene von Guérard blends topographical accuracy with the grandness of a mountain top view which he witnessed in 1862 as a member of a geographical survey led by scientist Georg von Neumayer. The artist has taken some liberties with the depiction of the boulders in the foreground to demonstrate the enormous ...

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Who's that cheeky gnome?

Listen as host Paul Rissmann tells a story about Mussorgsky and a gnome called Harry. How does the orchestra's music help to tell the story?

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Exploring themes with David Williamson

Watch this clip to learn about David Williamson's background and what themes fascinate him as a playwright. What ideas does he enjoy exploring in his plays?

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Purdiwan: Pretty One

The Garrwa people live inland from the Gulf of Carpentaria, on either side of the border between the Northern Territory and Queensland. In this brief but beautiful animation, a Garrwa woman herds her pretty goats eastward.