Actual performance studies ramblings

This started out as a blog about performance studies, but it has been a long time since I've written anything performance-related.

Today in a tutorial, the tutor asked why there was so much cultural wealth in a town like Glasgow and why Brisbane was such a "cultural desert". Both towns have similar populations. But while one is filled with a vibrant arts scene, the other has a quiet art scene in comparison.

Sometimes I think Australia is a nation that is afraid of putting up a mirror to its identity, to own up to the uglier parts of its history. And so we potter along with this notion of who we think we are, when the truth doesn't match the reality. Cultural self-reflection is written off as artistic wank.

I know I'm speaking in general terms, and I do intend to eventually justify what I write in this post.

The tutor said that apartheid exists in Australia. That gave me something to think about.