ISSUE
C U LT U R E
ARTICULATE DEFINING CULTURE “Culture is the name for what people are interested in, their thoughts, their models, the books they read and the speeches they hear, their table-talk, gossip, controversies, historical sense and scientific training, the values they appreciate, the quality of life they admire. All communities have a culture. It is the climate of their civilization.” Walter Lippmann
DUO MAGAZINE IS PROUD TO PARTNER WITH PERC TUCKER REGIONAL GALLERY AND SHANE FITZGERALD, MANAGER GALLERY SERVICES, TOWNSVILLE CITY COUNCIL, IN A SERIES THAT DISCUSSES CURRENT TRENDS, MUSINGS AND INSIGHTS INTO CONTEMPORARY VISUAL ARTS.
“Without culture, and the relative freedom it implies, society, even when perfect, is but a jungle. This is why any authentic creation is a gift to the future.” Albert Camus “Without culture, and the relative freedom it implies, society, even when perfect, is but a jungle. This is why any authentic creation is a gift to the future.” Albert Camus
“We seldom realize, for example that our most private thoughts and emotions are not actually our own. For we think in terms of languages and images which we did not invent, but which were given to us by our society.” Alan W. Watts
“If everybody is looking for it, then nobody is finding it. If we were cultured, we would not be conscious of lacking culture. We would regard it as something natural and would not make so much fuss about it. And if we knew the real value of this word we would be cultured enough not to give it so much importance.” Pablo Picasso GALLERIES, MUSEUMS, LIBRARIES and theatres are special places for people interested in learning about themselves and others. In a world where every place is beginning to feel and look the same, cultural products and activities mark one place from the next and tangible differences create competitive advantage whilst embedding its region as a vibrant place to live, work and recreate.
Nevertheless, day in and day out, most galleries, museums, libraries and theatres would receive positive feedback from visitors who discover something new, moving or edifying about themselves, or their own or distant cultures in their encounters with art works, objects and performances which have qualities such as originality, contemporaneousness, beauty, rarity or age.
Perc Tucker Regional Gallery and Pinnacles Gallery aim to deliver an enriching, authentic experience of Australian and other cultures to the tens-of-thousands that visit each year. But what do we mean by an ‘enriching’ cultural experience? How do we define culture?
So how do we define Townsville’s culture or perhaps more importantly how does Townsville’s culture define us? Culture is what links us all. This common ground provides us with a moral compass; it acts as our vehicle to both express and elicit emotions in their purest forms; and provides a forum to discuss new ideas, our history, current events and issues, and the shared human condition. Most importantly, these significant benefits of cultural activity combine to shape our future.
One definition might be: a direct, sensory encounter; a book you can hold in your hands; a live performance where you and others can gather before a group of jazz musicians; an original painting you can closely examine, tracing its astonishing marks and textures. Of course, the notion of ‘authenticity’ in galleries and museums can be a loaded and even hotly contested concept, not least because objects – such as the 19th century Japanese kimono in the City of Townsville Art Collection – are wrenched out of their original social context and viewed and appreciated in radically different ways.
112 DUO MAGAZINE JULY 2015 duomagazine.com.au
In my experience Townsville is one of those rare gems. A melting pot of multiculturalism coupled with an “arts” culture that can only be described as a sleeping giant. Townsville is not pretentious, nor is it self-promoting [perhaps this is one of our failings] and it certainly doesn’t pretend to be what it is not. If I were to define, even personify, the cultural landscape of Townsville then I would describe her as modest, confident, dynamic and inclusive.
Recently though I believe the cultural landscape of Townsville has matured as she embraces ambition, recognition and vision. It would appear that the sleeping giant is about to awaken and I for one cannot wait for the cultural renaissance of our region to commence. For far too long Townsville’s culture has been defined by tradition and archaisms, struggling along a path already trodden and which is no longer relevant. Change is a powerful transformative vehicle. Change is also threatening to many whom struggle with the notion that societies evolve, grow and mature. Will we define our culture in this time of change or will we allow our culture to be defined for us?
“One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.” Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe