Since the beginning of civilization humans have sought to adorn and decorate themselves, and the Chinese were no exception. Inspired by the beauty and variety of the birds and animals around them they sought, from the very earliest times to emulate these seemingly perfect creatures by first adorning themselves with their pelts and plumes. Then with increasing sophistication to embellish the clothes and accessories they wore, finally establishing by the time of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) a highly-stylised and visible social and political hierarchy. This was based upon their perception of the intrinsic characteristics of these creatures and famously epitomized by the bird and animal rank badges of that era.

Unsurprisingly perhaps, headgear and hairstyles evolved in the most spectacular manner, and the crests and head plumes of the birds the Chinese encountered provided inspiration over the centuries for an astonishing variety of hats, crowns, tiaras, hairstyles and hair ornaments. Drawn by their iridescent beauty, many races and peoples have used feathers as adornment or accessory, and the earliest humans, including the Chinese, probably initially sought to decorate themselves using entire feathers from the bird; we are all familiar with pictures of races right up until modern times such as the Papua New Guinean tribes, which continue to do so.

It is only the Chinese however who evolved beyond this to discover a way to incorporate the colour and sheen, which they so admired in the beautiful feathers, into something far more wearable, sophisticated and elegant (Hartman, R., 1980, p80). The most highly-prized of all as seen in the short poem above were the flashing iridescent turquoise and blue feathers of the little halcyon, or kingfisher bird, at that stage plentiful in China and in fact, in most of Asia. As can be deduced from the date of Ch’en Tzu-ang’s poem, the use of kingfisher feathers appears well-established at that stage and they were clearly already highly valued as much, if not more, than gold.

Excavations of T’ang dynasty (A.D. 618-906) tombs have revealed tiny kingfisher jewellery pieces, which were probably used more in the manner of gems or decorative items, and there are descriptions of a dying king from the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220) detailing his private chamber in which there were “kingfisher hangings on jasper hooks” and “bedspreads of kingfisher all seeded with pearls”(Hartman, R., 1980, p76), apparently from the manner of their description not necessarily unusual objects for the time.

Beverley Jackson in her extensive book on the subject of the use of kingfisher feathers recounts a marvelous episode where the indefatigable English author Oswald Sitwell is musing upon the glory that was Angkor Wat, and concludes, somewhat amazed, that such glories in a country with few resources such as ancient Cambodia must have been provided by one thing only – the enormous trade in kingfisher feathers for the insatiable Chinese market (Jackson, B., 2001, p5). This rather startling observation provides some insight into the ubiquity and popularity of the exquisite objects, and certainly no museum collection of Chinese dress is without at least one or two examples of this art

Indeed kingfisher feathers were employed with dazzling effect in a large variety of items for personal adornment including not only hair ornaments but crowns, wedding head-dresses, bracelets, nail guards, brooches, earrings, pendants and occasionally even larger objets d’art such as screens and tableaux. Although it is evident that kingfisher decorative items had existed for many centuries, they were at their most spectacular when used to decorate women’s hair ornaments, and this was an art form whose artistic culmination was reached in the Qing dynasty when the Manchus took control of Imperial power.

Although they sought to enforce Manchu customs and language from the beginning of their reign in 1644, by the time of the Qianlong Emperor (c 1736-95) the ruling Manchus were increasingly concerned that not only were the ethnic Han Chinese continuing with their own style of dress, they were also influencing Manchu style. Subsequently in 1759, the “Illustrated Precedents for the Ritual Paraphernalia of the Court” (Huangchao liqi tushi) was published, ostensibly in an effort to unify the country but in reality of course to control and impose their rule upon the Han(Garrett, V., p10). Under this system, clothing was divided into official and non-official wear, seasonal wear, styles, and colours, all based on rank. As women held no official role in the court (other than occasionally acting as regent, most notably the Empress Dowager Cixi) their rank was determined by their husband’s⁴.

Subsequently their dress, hairstyles and even their hair ornaments were very formalised so combined with the immense wealth and leisure time these women enjoyed, the art of dressing the hair and ornamenting the subsequent confection reached new heights – literally in the case of Manchu women, who sought to develop increasingly towering styles. Combined with her extra physical height, floor-length robes and 4-6” platform shoes, the Manchu court female was an imposing figure, and made the shorter-statured, bound-footed Han Chinese woman look girlish and doll-like by comparison(Johnson, B., 2001, p61).

Naturally in this era no woman of rank or wealth, Manchu or Han, did her own hair; in the case of the Manchu woman if a hat was not being worn for an official occasion, the preparations for this coiffure could take some hours, especially with the higher ranking princesses and empresses of the court(Princess Der Ling, 1911, p67). In order to keep the elaborate structure in place, a gel-like substance was used called pao bua, derived from soaking fine wood-shavings from a special tree in hot water until a sticky jelly was obtained. This was then combed through the hair which was then styled. In the case of Han women, unless their husband was a mandarin at the Imperial court this style would have simply been in the fashion of the day, often a simple coil or two braids at the nape of the neck; very few ornaments were used, often just fresh flowers or a couple of small pins.

In the case of Manchu women however it was a much more complex process and the gelled and combed hair was then wound around elaborate frames made of horsehair; according to the dictates of her rank a number of different types of styling followed, the best known of which is the liangpa tou “two handle ends” seen in many portraits of the day including the Empress Dowager. Against this towering backdrop (further augmented in the late Qing by a similar structure made of black satin), numerous beautiful objects such as sheng (combs), zan (hair slides), chai (hair pins) and buyao (hair ornaments) could be displayed, along with fresh and artificial flowers, pompoms and tassels (Garrett, V, 1997, p76, Hartman, R, 1980, p90, Jackson, B, 2001, pp61-63)

The hair ornaments themselves could be functional or decorative, serving to either help hold the hair in place in the case of the very large hair slide known as bianfang which essentially supported the two side buns and was often decorated on one side with a large hanging tassel which swung as the wearer walked, or in the case of smaller pins and ornaments be displayed entirely for their beauty and workmanship. The variety of materials used along with the kingfisher feathers included gold or silver (depending on wealth and rank), pearls, precious and semi-precious stones notably unfaceted rubies and sapphires, tourmalines and carnelians, the highly-valued Peking glass, coral, jade or jadeite, mother of pearl, and sometimes in the case of dangling hair ornaments (liusu) brass figures such as fish.

The ornaments themselves came in a huge variety of shapes including birds, animals, insects, flowers and other plant life including fruit and gourds, children or small figures, auspicious symbols including the shou “long life” and shuangxi “double happiness” symbols, shapes such as the Eight Precious Objects and even in the case of larger crowns and tiaras, small still life scenes depicting court life or famous scenes, however the most popular themes were butterflies, bats, dragonflies, grasshoppers, fish and gourds(Garrett, V, p19-35, Hartman, R, 1980, pp76-80, Jackson, B, 2001, p97) The reason for these choices was several-fold, for apart from their intrinsic charm and beauty these motifs held another type of significance. The Chinese language is rich with homophones, words that sound like one another but have different meanings, with the result that saying one thing can evoke something entirely different, sometimes humorous or for the superstitious Chinese, auspicious.

Well-known examples of this include “happiness” fu and “bat” bianfu, “prosperity” yu and “fish” yu, or interesting combinations such as “butterfly” and “gourd” guadie mianmian creating a rebus meaning “offspring for eternity”. Other motifs had their own inherent meanings, such as peaches and pomegranates (fertility), paired ducks (marital happiness) cranes (immortality) and lingzhi mushrooms (longevity). Because of this there resulted a strong visual vocabulary, almost a type of ‘visual shorthand’, so that the use of certain animals, insects or symbols would result in a piece that was not only able to be admired for its exquisite workmanship, but also had great meaning for the wearer and all those around her and usually connoted her wish for a happy and fulfilled life, preferably with many sons (Hartman, R, 1980, pp76-80).

It can be understood in the light of this that the Chinese of this era wore jewellery for different reasons to us today, usually more for aesthetic reasons or the enjoyment of the wearer, or as a practical means of storing their assets, rather than actually showing off wealth. In addition, the choice of background metal was again stipulated by formal decree, and gold was generally only permitted for ornaments for the ladies of the Imperial court or the very wealthy.

Whatever the metal it was wrought into an astonishing variety of shapes, often three-dimensional, and was frequently worked as filigree; quite frequently design elements such as stems, branches and leaves were fashioned with a springy copper ball so that they trembled when the wearer moved or walked, adding to the charm and beauty of the final picture(Jackson, B, 2001, p85).

While it is certainly acknowledged that the art of working with kingfisher feathers is one of China’s traditional handcrafts (Yuan, H, 2006, p97), the actual construction of the pieces themselves has been the subject of some conjecture. What is known is that thin sheets of gold or silver were formed into the desired shape with the appropriate ridges in the design being fashioned with a tiny hammer and a surrounding lip then being attached, much in the fashion of cloisonné(Hartmann, R, 1980, p76). The pieces of feather were then painstakingly laid in place and then affixed with adhesive or glue.

The method of fixation may have been variable depending on the way the piece was constructed and has been variously describedas eithercovering the entire finished product with a glue-like substance(Jackson, B, 2001, p53-54) or affixing each piece individually, as in a fascinating eye-witness account of the timedescribing how individual feather filaments were dredged through the glue before being laid flat upon the metal surface(Jackson, B, 2001, p50) What is agreed upon is that the glue must be invisible, and not discolour the feathers at all.

The exact composition of this glue is not precisely known although it was most likely a combination of adhesives derived from both animal (hide) and plant (seaweed) sourceswhich would have been plentiful and readily available at the time. The feathers themselves also appear to have been used in a couple of different ways to create the jewellery. One technique, by far the slowest and most painstaking and most likely that used for the Court jewellery, involved the method described above whereby individual feather filaments were laboriously attached side by side until the piece was covered and a solid lacquer-like effect was achieved.

Alternately and possibly as demand for these objects grew, a different and no doubt slightly more efficient technique was employed with larger sections of actual feather being attached. This may also have been used for larger pieces. What is certain is that with the inevitable intermingling of the ruling Manchus and the Han Chinese women, demand for these pieces grew as every women in China wanted one of these covetable and fashionable items. In addition the increasing influx of Western visitors combined with the aesthetic of the Art Nouveau movement in Europe made these pieces desirous beyond Chinese shores, and demand eventually outstripped supply with the eventual hunting to extinction of the little kingfisher bird in China.

Fashions then changed and with the advent of the sweeping social changes that were to befall China, this art, like so many others, was lost. The last factory producing these items commercially closed in Canton in 1930(Hartman, R, 1980, p78), and although reproduction items are still produced in China and the Philippines today, the items are generally inferior and do not use genuine kingfisher feathersbut rather dyed feathers from other birds(Jackson, B, 2001, p53).

What is so remarkable then is that the appreciation of, and delight in these beautiful little objects endures in both China and the West, and even in such a changed world as ours the fact that we can still admire and desire these little gems, and the very fact that so many pieces of this extraordinary art form still survive today is a tribute to both the skill of the artisans and the timeless beauty of the pieces themselves.

Guest Author: © Dr Sheena Burnell Shanghai 2009 – 2012 **Ch’en Tzu-ang (661-702) Translation by Paul W. Kroll

Dr Sheena Burnell is an anaesthetist currently living in the East. She began collecting Chinese objet d’art and Japanese ukiyoe (wood block prints) in the 1980s. Her shift in focus to Chinese dress accessories dates from her first visits to Hong Kong in the early ‘90s. This led to an expanding interest in women’s and children’s dress accessories in general and more recently kingfisher hair ornaments. Sheena appeared on the Australian ABC program ‘Collectors’ in 2007, with her collection of bound feet shoes and related objects.

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Dimity Hodge, Head of Women in Leadership at Westpac said recently “Jo is not only the fashion elixir – she is an elixir of life. She is like a breath of fresh air guiding us all in fashion and style. Her passion is contagious – she wants us all to feel and look the best we can. She is stylish and creative and she just knows what works – for everyone and every body. She’s the best!” Dimity says

Jo Bayley is a Sydney girl, born and bred and we first met when she was in her early teens. With a keen eye for fashion from a young age, Jo could be found making clothes for her dolls in every spare moment. She began hairdressing at that time, developing her career in this field now spanning 25 years.

Travelling through Europe extensively has ignited the passion for fashion, style and exotic locations, and she particularly enjoyed working with menswear at London in the late 90′s. Jo also devotes much time and energy to volunteering for Look Good Feel Better, which is a social profit institution that runs workshops in hospitals nationwide. Look Good Feel Better helps women going through cancer treatment to learn about skin care, makeup, and how to best use hats, scarves and wigs.

Jo believes fashion can be the elixir we all need to take the boredom out of everyday life. And anyone can be fabulous armed with the right tools (shoes, hot dress and iconic handbag!)

Jo will be providing tantalizing tales of style, travel and fashion, here in Australia, and the rest of the globe. She says ‘Life would be so boring without a bit of escapism. Lusting over the perfect shoe, an idyllic island holiday or, that fabulous little black dress can make the day seem so much brighter’. It’s good to have her on board. I am sure that like me, you will look forward to her many musings.

Carolyn McDowall, The Culture Concept Circle 2012

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   Join us and the world will never look quite the same again

The InForum Group, run by key lifestyle Sydney based professional industry figures Jenny Garber and Fiona Coogan, will present special guest speaker, fashion and travel journalist Marion Hume, as the business community gets back into gear to start the 2012 year. At Sydney over lunch in the elegant Ivy Room on January 31st, and at Melbourne over champagne and canapés at the stylish Mossgreen Gallery on February 1st, Ms Hume will offer InForum Group members and guests an insightful talk about the constantly changing world of fashion. She will share her understanding of how currently the rise of e-commerce is transforming the industry, the retail environment, the future for the fashionista, as well as all our shopping habits.

Since graduating from Exeter University at London Marion Hume, from 1985 – 2012, has been involved in writing, lecturing, consulting, editing, producing and presenting seminal programs about key fashion industry figures, sporting identities and glamorous celebrities. She has a renowned reputation for being a straight shooter, insightful, honest, with great integrity and independence. She is an advocate for many social profit organizations, including co-founding in the UK a social profit organization known as Fashion Acts, which raises awareness and millions of pounds for the fight against Aids. She also consults to The Ethical Fashion Forum, an industry social profit body that helps some of the world’s poorest people.

Louboutin lovelies, for stepping out on the red carpet

Judging when to speak or stay silent in her industry must be a fine balancing act. And being honest would have people either mad at you, or marveling at your courage. Knowing how to keep your enemies close, just like Miranda Priestly (Meryl Street) in the now 2006 ‘classic’ The Devil Wears Prada’, would be important. You would also need to keep your stilettos sharp. No doubt wearing shoe designer Christian Louboutin’s fabulous red-soled shoes would prove an advantage, especially if you found yourself stepping through blood on a ‘red’ carpet.

Ms Hume is no stranger to controversy and has interviewed in her professional lifetime many amazing characters. She was reported in The Age in 2005 as saying about the book she had taken time out to write, The Fashion Pack, which was published that same year, that it was all “about friendship in a world of fakes”.

A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous*

Harper's Bazaar presents highlights of Australia's sartorial past at the opening night of the 2009 Melbourne Fashion Festival. Photo: Penny Stephens

Born into the world of art, design and style with a father who was a designer and a mother who was an art teacher, Marion Hume is an English literature major, who after going back and forth for years fell so much in love with Australia that she became a citizen in 2002.

She is currently International Editor for The Australian Financial Review and Travel Editor (London) for Harper’s Bazaar, Australia. Ms Hume also writes for The Financial Times, The Daily Telegraph and the Saturday Telegraph Magazine in the UK.

From 1989 – 1992 she was a consultant to the BBC on their landmark six part television series about the world of fashion entitled ‘The Look’, which included documentaries on industry luminaries such as Gianni and Donatella Versace, Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan and Christian Lacroix.

Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening*

The InForum Group are about educating, enlightening and expanding the knowledge of women in the workplace.

InForum Group Executives Fiona Coogan and Jenny Garber

With extensive qualifications, industry knowledge and experiences that are complimentary, Jenny Garber and Fiona Coogan are both very well placed to help their members gain personal and professional satisfaction.  If you would like to become a member consult the InForum website.

Marion Hume has gained a broad range of experiences in the world of fashion and journalism, and as such would have many captivating, and controversial stories to tell. Building a reputation in any field is hard enough, but in the glamorous, and sometimes nail biting and backstabbing world of fashion, it is no mean feat. It takes dedication, commitment, a good work ethic, plain talking, and above all a passion for the industry.

The fashion and arts industry certainly makes or breaks many people, especially those with only a thin veneer to hold back the blows. Fortunately Ms Hume comes from strong stoic Scottish stock. They are made of much sterner stuff, and renowned for their ability to tell a good tale.

Carolyn McDowall, The Culture Concept Circle 2012

Meet Marion Hume

Melbourne
Champagne & Canapés 6 – 8:30 pm 1^st February, 2012
Mossgreen Gallery, Toorak Road, South Yarra 3141

Sydney
Lunch 12 noon – 2pm 31^st January 2012
The Ivy Room, George Street Sydney. Tables 10

Click this Link for Bookings

* Quotes attributed to Coco Chanel

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   Course Outline

When Condé Nast folded its monthly men’s magazine covering fashion for guys, Men’s Vogue in 2008, many believed it was all over for men of style. Who else was going to provide the perfect platform for design, art, culture, sports and technology to flourish that both empowered and enabled men through knowledge, without sacrificing their feelings or making them feel like fools. The male version of the famous woman’s magazine featured plenty of profiles of men who dressed to impress, especially highlighting respected actor role models from Hollywood and abroad. Smoking hot, actor George Clooney was on the first cover.

From the days of backstage action, and sometimes bad behaviour of the boys upstairs and down in TV’s ‘Downton Abbey‘, where middle class solicitor Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) refuses to compromise or change, to the suave well suited urbane advertising man Don Draper, surviving among other Madmen on Madison Avenue, or the White Collar con-man kid himself, the slim, stylish, ever clever Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer pictured), men of style who are in vogue have always looked both sharp and sensational.

Historically male garb reflects the wearer’s power, his wealth, his youthful joie de vivre or joy of life, as well as his sporting prowess, smouldering sex appeal and, even his beauty. Over the years, fashionable male iconic images have reflected changes in society, culture,  economics, technology, politics and, morality. Styles have gone from being mature, serious and conservative to conceited, youthful and sexy in cyclical patterns.

Men of style include Matthew Crawley, heir to the Earl of Grantham’s Estate in the TV series Downton Abbey, a period drama full of drama, intrigue and wonderful acting, is part of a tradition that has courted both women and history. The costumes men worn then, just as now, provide an expose on the plush private worlds in which a man may plot a path to power on the political scene or otherwise live quietly while sponsoring others and worthy causes. It explains the diversity and humanity attached to men of action, who worked hard for the common good and commerce. We can also gain an insight into the sometimes complex world of ‘boys and their toys’ so that we can praise their prowess, capture their visionary advice, or follow their successes in both love and life.

For men in a certain social sphere the late nineteenth and early twentieth century was about being ‘bespoke’ or tailor made. It was all about peerless cut and precision, not ‘peacockery’, produced by the tailors of Savile Row, at London.

The term “bespoke” is understood to have originated on Savile Row when cloth for a suit was said to “be spoken for by an individual customer “.

The talented ‘bespoke’ tailors on Savile Row today are still sought after, and continue to survive changes in fashion, the expansion of well made ‘off the rack’ suits and, an assault on their competitiveness and competency, which will always be associated with taste, fashion, elegance, sophistication and timeless attitudes

British actor Dan Stevens plays Matthew Crawley in Downton Abbey, which is currently receiving lots of well deserved accolades. Stevens, one of the main characters, is no stranger to playing men of style or to looking dashing in period dramas and wearing bespoke suits.

In Downton Abbey his character refuses the help of a valet assigned to him, until he realizes it’s not just about him. The Earl points out to him that as the prospective head of a great estate he needs to understand the valet’s role, which for him is as important as is his own.

When he discovers he is putting the fellows livelihood on the line by sacrificing him on the altar of his pride thankfully he turns his previously priggish remarks into well earned praise. This change of attitude also changes his perspective on life and re-defines him as a man.

The costume he wears while dapper, neat and smart, is quietly confident and in line with the preferred quiet taste of an English lawyer and man of business attempting to take over the world by degrees. He wears lightweight linen suits with straw hats for summer, echoing the Earl of Grantham, played so competently by Actor Hugh Bonneville, a man of great elegance and style. Crawley wears wool suits and coats with bowler hats for business and the rest of the year.

For the boy who studied English Literature at Cambridge before bursting onto stage and screen Dan Stevens has become one of the 21st centuries everyday stylish, successful men, who inserts himself well into the Downton Abbey milieu upstairs while empathizing and sympathising with the boys from downstairs.

Despite being just a bit greedy and ambitious, while giving us a fabulous ‘I don’t give a damn’ look, Thomas the Footman, played suitably by actor Rob James-Collier, looks very dashing in his suit.

What everyone wore in a house, like that of an Earl like Grantham was important. It reflected to all the people who visited the Earl ‘at home’ his status, commonsense approach, honour, valour and integrity, all important attributes for a peer of the realm.

Whether upstairs or downstairs, men were looked up to as leaders not only of taste and style, but also of the society they kept and so they needed to make doubly sure that they got it right.

Securing your station in life certainly depended on just how able you proved yourself to be. Looking the part too was important, because it was about perceptions.

Don Draper, single handedly has put the E back into Esquire. He is one very urbane, suave, stylish dude. A sixties adman played superbly by American Actor Jon Hamm.

Instead of a pre-war period drama, this television series is about the new modern man, the one who inhabited the fashionable late fifties and sensational sixties in America, the decades the current generation seem to have gone ‘mad’ for.

The setting is Madison Avenue, Manhattan, New York NY, where ‘Madmen’ of the all new and exciting advertising industry that grew up following World War II, gained a reputation for being Martini-sodden, Manhattan cocktail swilling, womanising, capitalist princes. They were sometimes ballsy, sometimes dark and always in charge. They made Madison Avenue into one of the most powerful, innovative and creative places in the world for decades.

The series of Madmen has gained nine Emmy’s, four Golden Globes and the GQ Men Of The Year award. Certainly one of the most handsome men in the room, Hamm has, through Don Draper, also put the S back into status, sophistication and style by not only wearing his tailored suits well, but also hats, one of the most powerful expressions for all men of perception at that time. My Dad sure never left home without one.

Jon Hamm aka Don Draper manages to bring a reflective sadness to his character that is palatable. While we know he certainly looks successful, we can see that deep inside despite his stylish suits, it is really his soul that is in jeopardy. Without the suit Hamm pretty much wears shorts more suited to a former football star and sports fan that he is. How Hamm manages to ensure that Draper, his ’60s adman is much more than a design element on the Mad Men’s cleverly curated creative set is not yet clear.

He’s to me like a young handsome Gregory Peck, the actor who actually played diverse and dashing roles back in the sixties wearing his pin striped suits well too.

During the Presidential campaign there was a picture in a New York Times Magazine depicting the interior of Barack Obama’s campaign jet, with in the background a DVD box set of season one of Madmen on a table. This was seen as a very cool cultural penetration by its producers – but the best was yet to come. President Barack Obama came out as a “Maddict” and totally surprised Matt Weiner, head Mad Men man, by sending a handwritten note to say how much he enjoyed the series. Certainly the act of a gentleman who is also at home in a suit.

Hot on Draper’s heels is Neal Caffrey aka. the very handsome Matt Bomer. His character Caffrey is one likeable rogue, oozing confidence, a cool contemporary con man working for the FBI, alongside one of its best agents, Peter Burke played by Tim DeKay, nick named The Suit by Caffrey’s best friend, confidante and conspiracy theorist freak, the loveable Mozzie (Willie Garson).

Caffrey is a creative expert in art, a forger of fine art, securities thief, counterfeiter and racketeer, who not only extricates himself from difficult situations, but also helps the FBI catch other ‘White Collar’ criminals.

He is very dapper and certainly has put the C in conman back into confidence by wearing suits with a slim silhouette that suit his svelte shape so very well. He proves the statement ‘Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society’ by American humourist, novelist, author and wit Mark Twain (1835 – 1910).

Caffrey in contemporary culture is so far, the naughty cheeky boy who manages to get away with being a crook stylishly and celebrates the tradition of men in Vogue. In fact he’s become so highly regarded as reflecting and being a role model for stylish elegance in February 2011 he was invited to be a presenter at the 13th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards in America.

With its contemporary themes and stories, that include treasure hunts and races to find an inheritance and to save the life of a kidnapped heiress, White Collar is a cat and mouse game played out by Caffrey by working with and sometimes against, his new best friend, mentor and nemesis, Agent Peter Burke. He is aided by Mozzie, his foster home raised flaw ridden friend, while Burke is ably helped by his lovely event planner wife Elizabeth (Tiffani Thiesssen), who can’t help but admire Neal’s witty demeanour and refined elegance. She’s my kind of girl, she tends to always look on the bright side of life and unwillingly and unwittingly gets herself into scrapes on behalf of them both.

Neal Caffrey’s rise to fame and fortune is really only down to one woman June, an elderly widow 75 years of age who Neal meets in a thrift store while he’s looking for clothes and trying on old hats. June is played deliciously by former singing star and sensation of the sixties herself, Diahann Carroll.

Inevitably falling for his bad boy charms June offers Neal her rooftop guest room complete with a sensational intact Art Deco Kitchen, fabulous Library and stunning view of the 20′s Deco Chrysler building from its attached Terrace, which comes complete with decorative art and great gargoyles.

Caffrey the artist makes the designer clothes, that once belonged to June’s husband and came along with the flat, his own. Some would say art may well help Neal make and suit his clothes: but it is nature that must first produce the man. In White Collar Caffrey is turning out to be a quite a man for all seasons. As my daughter in law has said, “wow, all these men, in their suits and hats – well they are all definitely my sort of eye candy, and on a grand scale”.

Carolyn McDowall, The Culture Concept Circle 2011, 2012

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The Emperor Qianlong in his study (Before 1767) Artist: attributed to the Jesuit Priest Giuseppe Castiglione (1688-1766) and Jin Tingbiao (active at Court 1757-1767)

Many know about Salem in Massachusetts in America, mainly because of its association with witches. However one of its greatest treasures is the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM). The roots of the museum date to 1799 and the founding of the East India Marine Society, an organization of Salem captains and supercargoes, who had achieved what once was impossible, sailing beyond either the Cape of Good Hope or Cape Horn. The society’s charter included a provision for the establishment of a “cabinet of natural and artificial curiosities,” which is what we today would call a museum.

Recently the PEM had a show that revealed the contents of the Emperor’s Qianlong’s private retreat deep within the Forbidden City. There were some ninety objects, including murals, paintings, wall coverings, furniture, architectural elements, jades and cloisonné.  The Emperor Qianlong  (r.1736-1796) was one of Chinese history’s most influential figures. He was among the richest and most powerful men in the world during his life time. A connoisseur, scholar and devout Buddhist, within the forbidden city Qianlong created a luxurious garden compound to serve throughout his retirement as a secluded place of contemplation, repose and entertainment.

I first learned about the PEM in an unlikely place, Brisbane, Australia during the last year of the twentieth century. At Milton in Brisbane, where I was working at the time in an Antique Shop, we held an exhibition of Chinese textiles and many people came not only to look and purchase rare pieces, but also to show us theirs. One family turned up with a sea chest full of fabulous textiles and objects, which had been brought out of China early in the twentieth century at the time of the Chinese Revolution by a merchant sailor member of their family. It included a fabulous uncut Chinese silk Imperial Yellow Robe, which was still on the roll where it had been placed after it had been woven.

Chinese Rank Badge of a Scholar

An elderly friend, Jim Forbes came to visit and advise. Jim was a member of the renowned American Forbes family, whose wealth had its origins in the China trade that took place between North America and China during the nineteenth century. He had an innate understanding of the culture that surrounded the Emperors in the Forbidden City. Throughout the exhibition he often called in to view and talk about the textiles and the time they had been woven.

He told us about the Boston trading firm Perkins & Company who had sent many young men, including his great grandfather to participate in their business activities abroad. Perkins & Co., like many other Boston trading firms in the early nineteenth century, had sent ships to China to obtain tea. They paid for it by exporting to China, from Boston, large quantities of silver, furs, manufactured goods, cloth, wood and the deadly opium along with any other items they thought the Chinese market would absorb.

The Forbes family founded and were involved in the running of the Museum of the American China Trade at Milton, Mass., on Boston’s South Shore. Until the 1980′s it was curated by a Forbes great-grandson, Dr. H. A. Crosby Forbes, who was an expert on Chinese porcelain and a relative of our Brisbane based expert.

He often went to visit him to discuss special finds and view the family collection. It was housed in one of the family members 1833 Greek Revival style house in ironically, Milton in Mass. In 1984 it merged with the The Peabody Essex Museum leaving the house in the management of the Forbes House Charitable Trust, which now operates it as the Captain Forbes House Museum.

The Forbes House Museum is located at: 215 Adams Street Milton, MA 02186

The PEM is about helping people to access and assess their relationship to creativity, or to help refine their ability to interpret art and culture.

The collection is diverse and cross cultural and includes African, American, Asian, maritime, Native American and Oceanic art. The focus is on enjoying a lively conversation through creativity across time, place and culture.

Their goal is not to hang art on the walls and then tell you what to think. Deep and far ranging, the collection is meant to open windows onto the world and other cultures to learn how people live, work and celebrate.

The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM),
East India Square (161 Essex St Milton) Salem, Massachusetts
Contact: 01970 978-745-9500

Carolyn McDowall The Culture Concept Circle 2010 – 2012

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One of the enchanting figures on the Chinoiserie Style Pavilion in Sansouci Park at Potsdam. Johnn Gottfried Büring was the architect and it was built between 1755 and 1764 by Frederick the Great, King of Prussia (1712-1786)

What is Art Deco
Art Deco (1920 – 1940) is a design style that reached the apex of its popularity between two global conflicts, World War I and II. It borrowed from virtually all the design styles of the past in order to fashion the future. It was the perfect expression of Paris during the 20’s to the 30’s and embraced every area of design and the decorative arts including architecture, interiors, furniture, jewellery, painting and graphics, bookbinding, costume, glass and ceramics. It was all about glamour. It was also about completing a deeply felt need for a style that would never be threatened by change. Its protagonists wanted to ward off the threat of a civilization dominated by either industry or technology, or both. The idea was to integrate contemporary living with art and turn life into art and for a while they succeeded.

Chinoiserie, More than Fantasy and Fashion
During the eighteenth century in Europe and England all things Chinese had assumed incredible proportions as fashionable society sought to transmit their ideas about the magical land of Cathay through a multiplicity of imagery. It manifested itself in intimate interiors where mirrored rooms reflected scenes of frivolity well. It draped itself delightfully with sumptuous silk textiles that recorded scenes of fashion and folly. The admiration of all things Chinese also led to the ultimate crossing over of cultural influences. On the scale of things a very few people in England and Europe had ever seen someone who was Chinese so their vivid imagination took over and, when combined with a great layering of charm, Chinoiserie was a style that was very fetching.

Jane Austen, more than the cultivation of the mind?
While her only known image may seem to reveal otherwise, there was nothing really plain about Jane Austen 1775 – 1817. Her novels, which have become classics in their own right, allow us today to share the memory of the robust society in which she lived and its privileges of rank. It was a colourful, turbulent and seemingly romantic world in the process of rapid evolution. The English provincial life, as led by Jane Austen and some of her heroines, was one of quality and modesty. A cultivated ambiance of politeness, with a keen though delicate sensibility was well balanced by common sense.

If you would like to watch more videos just bookmark our link http://www.youtube.com/user/carolynmcdowall

Carolyn McDowall, Writer in Residence, The Culture Concept Circle 2012

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He did this by ruthlessly executing a severe political agenda, which included abolishing feudal ranks and disarming private individuals who may oppose him. He standardized coinage, weights, measures and writing giving authority to a central government he dictated to. He violently imposed systems that kept everyone in their place and in a pecking order established through rank. He then ruled through fear, not unconditional love, which the present western system of democracy is founded on. What we do know from ancient texts and archaeological evidence is that there was no harmony at the first Emperor’s court. Everyone lived in fear of their lives and what would happen to them and importantly, to their descendants for eternity, if they did not obey their demonic despot’s wishes. This latter point goes to the very essence of Chinese culture and its beliefs. No one would want to offend their ancestors or to make life for their descendants unbearable, so they complied.

It is estimated some 700,000 conscripts were involved in the construction of a vast complex underground, which is thought to be as luxurious as any of the palaces the Qin Emperor maintained during his mortal life on top of it. A group of villagers uncovered the first of the terracotta figures that surround the complex to protect its occupant, when they were building a water-well in the Xian province of China in 1974. ‘We thought it was a temple statue – a Buddha perhaps. a spokesman for the group told a USA journalist ‘The women thought it might bring a curse down on the village.’

The terracotta army was originally found in hundreds of pieces. Not one was found intact. Before they could be displayed they had to be completely and painstakingly restored. Today the terracotta army he built for his afterlife have no battles to fight, but rather seek to win the war for China about culture as art.

As part of events highlighting an exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW entitled The First Emperor: China’s Entombed Warriors in 2010/2011 a group of learned academics, working in the field of Chinese art and archaeology around the world, lectured at a symposium held on the first weekend in December. During question time they gathered on stage to collectively remind participants how the west must be careful not to take a romantic view of the terracotta army on display or to seek to glorify it, or the first Emperor of China Qin Shihuang (259–210 BC) and his achievements in any way. They pointed out that while the first Emperor’s vision in constructing a vast universe for his afterlife was in many ways remarkable, that they couldn’t stress enough how it had come at a huge price to humanity.

At Sydney the exhibition featured ten complete ritual terracotta foot soldiers: some generals and a kneeling and a standing bowman. They were shown off alongside a variety of Chinese ritual ceremonial vessels, bronze bells and some ornamental gold and jade weapons, all of which have been crafted with great skill. There were also sets of amazing stone armour, which weigh about 20kg and consisted of approximately 1020 pieces. As archaeologists pointed out the workers making these could add six pieces a day. So that means each piece of armour took about 170 days to complete.

There were two complete bronze charioteers with bronze horses uncovered in 1980. The originals are always kept safe back in China and it is a replica that travels and was on display at Sydney. It still captured the imagination and commanded attention. Also included were the little known about bronze birds.

Discovered during the last decade, they were arranged disported on the banks of a notional river. This had been designed to flow around the symbolic haven created by the first Emperor of the Qin dynasty (221 to 206) for his journey into the afterlife. There are also other ceramics and palatial architectural remains. These included ritual items and bronzes that were crafted by individuals and considered and viewed as works of art.

Sydney was the first city in the world to host the terracotta army in 1983, only nine years after they were first found. I was there and remember the show and its atmosphere well. I also remember the figures were lauded as ‘art’ and as portraits of real people. This supposition is now very definitely retracted by those who first proclaimed it, the archaeologists.

It seems the more they excavate and uncover the remains of the first Emperor’s huge army the more it has been realized that the figures simply follow a hierarchical stereotype. They were mass produced using moulds and are really only objects of propaganda, whose designs are affected by traditions of ritual and symbolism.

To produce the figures in seven parts the hands were produced in the kilns of ceramic workers in one province, the feet in another, the torso, the head and so on. It is estimated 1000 people worked for three years to make the army of 8000 warriors and their horses. The ill-fated workers who assembled and applied their original various vibrant colours, including bright red, vermilion, burgundy, dark green, pastel green, sky blue and ‘Han purple’, more than likely perished along with the Emperor in his tomb, as per established custom. This would seem to be proved by the fact there was nothing like them before, or since the reign of the first Emperor.

The style of figure known as the Generals give the impression they were not men to be trifled with. Originally presented standing on a raised platform, a device that reflected their privileged place at the top of both the food and power chain, they become an even more imposing presence looking down on their subordinates. Robust both in body and facial features, which reflect their rank and that they had plenty to eat, the armour they wear is heavy and foreboding. It acts as a warning they are invincible and, at 2.2 metres tall, they are slightly larger than life.

By way of contrast there was the standing or a kneeling Archer who ranked way down the pecking order. They were much smaller and wore no protective armour, because they were required to be agile and fleet of foot when protecting their master. Their bodies and faces were noticeably thinner than that of the generals and the rest of the army in between. This indicates they were not as well off financially.  There were thousands of them taking the first line of defense surrounding the infantry and cavalry and, as such were expendable.

The Terracotta Army at Sydney 2010

The exhibition allowed Sydney people, visitors and tourists with an opportunity to view the terracotta army up close and personal without having to travel to Xian province. There they stood in a dark, dusky recreated tomb like setting evoking the atmosphere of the mausoleum underground in which they were found. Herein lay the problem for me. A burial ground is something everyone in the west respects so the way they were displayed both affected and informed what the majority of people took away from the exhibition with them. Professionally it was a great piece of staging. However the setting was deliberately designed to get the majority of people’s emotions going.

It demanded from the viewer an almost romantic emotional response the Academics and the Director of the Art Gallery of NSW were warning the informed group, that made up the audience at the Symposium, against. So it begged the question. If it’s not for a diplomatic reason, why didn’t the brief for display require of the designers they put the objects into a setting that allowed them to be viewed by the light of day? And, yes, there are lighting issues in terms of preservation and conservation. But this is only a challenge very clever designers would have surmounted. If the terracotta army were placed in such contemporary setting, rather than one evoking the gloom of the underworld, it would provide a very different and much more dispassionate forum for the community at large to assess them by.

Much of what is believed to be under the surface in China still remains buried and, we were told that if the archaeologists continue to excavate the site of the mausoleum fully it is estimated it will take up to a hundred years + to reveal the full extent of its contents, including what remains of its first Emperor and the setting in which he placed himself.

The terracotta army are fabulous objects. They are of great historical and cultural significance and achievement to the people of China, much like the finds from the tombs in Egypt are for their peoples and so on around the world. This is not something anyone would dispute. But the question needs to be asked. Is the terracotta army art or artifice ? Should they be displayed in an ‘art’ gallery, which is all about presenting fine international and Australian art, or rather in a Museum whose premise is about presenting stories of cultural development and history.

For the simple villagers who found the buried army and the ancient village they grew up in, the entombed warriors have seemingly proved more of a curse than a blessing. While they made history they lost their land, which was reclaimed. Some of the last remaining earn their living today signing books in a gift shop in the Museum of Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses, where they are paid for their trouble. The terracotta army is a billion dollar business for China and a great money earner for the galleries that display it.

As a final aside, Edmond Capon reminded Symposium participants that the man who discovered the first piece of a warrior, was only paid about A$5 for his find, although he was issued with a certificate from the government to confirm he was the first man to see the terracotta warriors again after 2000+ years.

Carolyn McDowall The Culture Concept Circle 2010, 2011

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The days of Matthew’s war wounds being a hindrance are finally behind him.

What an episode the final in Series 2 of Downton Abbey turned out to be, reported our London correspondent, who was quite breathless with excitement about it all.

The Christmas Special at Downton Abbey (Highclere) was shot full of lovely lines, many of them delivered once again by the delicious Dowager Duchess Violet, played so flawlessly and with such great verve and vigor by renowned English actress Maggie Smith. If ever a role was the pinnacle of a fine woman’s acting career this one has been for her.

Emotions run high as Carlisle the cad, who has threatened his wife to be Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) with ruin if she didn’t marry him, was deservedly dealt with by the heir to Downton Abbey Matthew Crawley and her father the Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville). They finally both learned the truth about her night of lust with the Turkish gentleman Mr Pamuk, who had died in her bed when a guest in her father’s house.

Bates in the Dock, on trial for his life

Sir Richard it seems also didn’t appreciate the many traditions surrounding life upstairs and down in an English aristocrat’s country house, especially at Christmas and New Year. Decorating the Christmas Tree, which is brought in from the estate on Christmas Eve and given a place of honour in the Entrance hall, is a top priority and everyone takes turns in hanging an ornament on the tree.

Those downstairs are allowed a few courtesies and concessions by those upstairs, who fend for themselves during the day at Christmas.  However downstairs in the Servants Hall as they pop the Christmas crackers to enjoy their lunchtime feast it’s hard to feel festive. Some of the retainers are struggling to enjoy their Christmas lunch, knowing that their colleague Mr Bates is on trial for his life. Later in the day at the Upstairs Christmas Dinner, along with the flaming Plum Pudding, many wishes for the year ahead include the acquittal of the faithful Mr Bates.

The annual Christmas shooting party, where man and beast seemingly become one is high on the agenda after Xmas, with tweed,  a fine plain or twill weave woolen fabric from Scotland very much the fashion statement of the day.

Applying the finishing touches

Lady Mary looks divine in her small green felt cloche hat with the fathers and ribbons on the side as she stands alongside first her fiancée and then Matthew.

Everyone upstairs toasts the New Year with chilled Champagne. The time ticks over to 1920, the beginning of the second decade of the twentieth century in which the third series of Downton Abbey will be set.

There is a surprising scene with the turncoat Thomas dancing with the Dowager Duchess at the Servant’s New Year Ball, after being offered a trial run as the Earl’s new valet.

Can we predict the future?

The brooding mysterious Bates (Brendan Coyle) is left languishing in prison having been found guilty of his thoroughly awful first wife’s death. But it’s not all bad. At least Bates, and his lovely and dutiful second wife Anna, have been spared his death by hanging. Through the efforts of the Earl and his lawyer his sentence is reprieved, so that they can all continue the fight to prove the Earl’s friend and former valet’s innocence.

There is a whole lot of weejie board nonsense going on downstairs, as well as a sub plot being woven about another fortune hunting cad who suddenly appears on the scene Upstairs.  Ever popular actor Nigel Havers features as Lord Hepworth. His presence gives the Dowager Duchess plenty of room to take aim and fire. He is endevouring to snare the Earl of Grantham’s sister and Violet’s daughter Lady Rosamund (Samantha Bond) and Violet’s just as determined it won’t happen.

Lady Mary, lovely by candlelight

When he is finally caught in flagrante with the personal maid of Lady Rosamund, well it looks like he will end up ‘playing the violin in Leicester Square‘ as the Dowager Duchess surmises.

There’s also news of Sybil and her handsome chauffeur husband from Ireland. The news is so wonderful it should make the seasons festivities really rock, except the celebrations are being kept close just between the Earl and his wife, well for now anyway. And Sybil and her chauffeur husband do not make an appearance, which will disappoint many.

The poor set upon kitchen maid, the delightful Daisy provides another great back story. She is maturing and allowing her late husband William’s Dad into her life. She has also found her voice, realizing that if she wants more from life than forever being bossed about by Mrs Patmore, she has to speak up for herself.

It all comes to the end with the year 1920 off and running. Everyone watching breathes a sigh of relief as writer Julian Fellowes, on a gently snowing New Year moonlit night, allows Lady Mary’s hero Matthew Crawley to go down onto one knee and propose finally to the woman he truly loves.

Lovely lady Mary, she was as we would expect deliriously happy after waiting for so long. After all everyone wants a happy ever after story for all the fabulous folk at Downton Abbey.

Carolyn McDowall, 2012

Watch the Trailer of Downton Abbey Christmas Special

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3lLLRtnFEo

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Elena Xanthoudakis as Eurydice and Andrew Goodwin as Orpheus in L'anima del filosofo: Orpheus & Eurydice composed by Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) and produced by the Pinchgut Opera at Sydney in 2010

If we are looking at examples of how you can make a past art form like Opera appeal to people of the present we need to look no further than the amazing Sydney based Pinchgut Opera, a small company that presents one major work annually. Over the past decade it has championed early works and instead of spending precious funds on elaborate costumes, fripperies and over embellished sets that can detract from a performance, or worse still hide mediocrity, they have invested their funds in splendid voices. Designers produce simple settings of great impact to highlight the historical musical scores in a contemporary way. ‘Authentic instruments’ also help audiences engage with the performance, because they re-create the sound as it was composed, mellow, beautifully round and rich and, so gloriously sensuous.

The reviews were so good they ensured that its first production or two were noticed. But here’s the thing. Pinchgut Opera,’s audiences, which have built steadily over that decade wait now with baited breath for the next performance and are ready to ‘book’ it out. This is because they have learned to appreciate the choice of music presented, and the incredible standard of excellence achieved. People keep coming back because they want more. They are also bringing others along to experience an art form many have not known. Their is no ‘high brow’ atmosphere, just friendly banter, happy chatter and enthusiastic applause. The stories presented are about human frailty, which means everyone connects to them emotionally. It’s truly awesome, brilliant stuff.  And they have done it without any government funding, just with funds from supporters and ticket sales. The applause after each performance has been deafening.

Tenor Andrew Pryor at the launch of Operapolitan in the Queen Street Mall, Brisbane

Long may they grow and prosper.

Having said all of that Opera is not only just about people gathering in a theatre any more to access it. This is a style of music truly millions of people love, but have found difficult to access one on one. There are many reasons for this, least of all is cost. Many people will spend hundreds of dollars to attend a rock concert, despite having to stand all night to be part of a huge crowd that often has to hoist people up on their shoulders to see. One of the reasons they don’t come to opera is because they feel intimidated by ‘opera regular’s. They are the members of the ‘club’ Artistic Director of Opera Australia Lyndon Terracini recently referred to in his Peggy Glanville Hicks Address 2011.

Now whether this is intentional or not, it is how people feel. And how they feel today is what counts. No longer can Opera remain part of an exclusive ‘club’ of just a few people comparatively to the rest of the population. Opera Companies receive huge grants of government funding i.e. money from the people. That means they need to showcase wonderful voices by presenting songs from opera along with other great songs that suit such voices, to millions of people not just thousands. For a reason that I find personally hard to fathom. many people believe some ‘art forms’ like some ‘people’, are quite beyond their reach, whether intellectually or socially. But that is not how it should work in a true democracy. Everyone should be able to access its own culture and its art forms. No one person is better than any other; although we do recognize as individuals, that we have different skill sets, strengths and weaknesses. And, if we are being honest, many fragile moments. It’s about getting us to play or sing in tune that is the challenge.

Interestingly, engaging with art in an art gallery seems less intimidating than listening to opera in a theatre

The beliefs many people have, interestingly enough these days, doesn’t have so much to do with paintings, sculpture and objects as ‘art’ like when I was a child. This is because increasingly since World War II the majority of people in society, including kids from school, have been able to access those produced through history by going to their State or National Art gallery, which has free admission to permanent collections and free guides to tell you all about it.

Collections have grown for the last two hundred years all over the world to include ceramics, textiles, glass, precious metal and other objects. As a general rule this means people don’t feel nearly as intimidated by going to the art gallery or to the museum, as they do about going to listen to the opera in a theatre. So they go in their droves, coming from all walks of life and all backgrounds. Just look at the record breaking crowds the Treasures of Tutankhamun recorded at Melbourne recently. At a State art gallery or museum people can choose what they would like to see and access further education if they want. It’s their choice.

The world of Opera however has developed as a ‘separate ‘art form’ much like the Ballet and different styles of Orchestras. This has happened around those who want a passive, more restrained and elegant experience (in house at the theatre) as against those who want a participating experience (out there along with everyone else), moving along to the music.

Andrew Pryor Tenor, Liza Beamish Coloratura, Christian Gante on Steinway Grand

They have created around them a culturally diverse society that can be ruled by one class of people. The theory of a ‘cultural hegomony’ is about how one group of people manipulates societal culture (beliefs, explanations, perceptions and values) so its view is perceived as a societal norm that is beneficial to all society, while in reality it only benefits the ruling class.

Today this is not an idea to be tolerated. It is not about what is right or wrong or what is appropriate. but it is about sharing the music around. This has happened to a degree in the last few years with initiatives like Opera in the Vineyard, Opera in the Paddock and Opera at the Cinema, presented on a big screen near you.

At Brisbane the ‘Operapoltian’ Team of singers launched the initiative of bringing works from the La Scala Opera House at Milan for Birch Carroll & Coyle. But it’s still not a first hand experience unless delivered in ‘real time’ – live. Perhaps that’s something Opera Australia could do with their opening nights (which are always booked out anyway). What fun to dress up and share the experience of first night at a reasonable cost.

With a colleague from Theme and Variations Piano Services, who sponsored the fabulous Steinway Grand piano, a team of people under the banner Operapolitan between 2006 and 2008 offered free concerts at Brisbane. We started with wonderful opera arias and operatic style songs in acoustically wonderful buildings on Eagle Street in the heart of the CBD. These great buildings housed five to seven thousand people working every day. The team performed three concerts in the Riverside Centre each day for three days and then moved on to Riparian Plaza, where we performed three more for a further three days.

Both buildings were designed by Sydney architect Harry Seidler. Because the acoustics were so excellent we were able to present them cost effectively, without having to involve sound people or technology, just using the architectural acoustic to bounce the sound around. It resonated beautifully.

Liza Beamish Coloratura, Kathleen Procter-Moore Mezzo Soprano and Christian Gante Accompanist on the Steinway Grand - Presenting The Flower Duet from Lakmé at Riverside Centre, Eagle Street Brisbane in 2007

We presented the wonderful voices of Liza Beamish (coloratura), Kathleen Proctor-Moore (mezzo), Andrew Pryor (tenor) and Shaun Brown (baritone) who were accompanied by Christian Gante (pianist) on the fabulous Steinway grand piano.

The voices bounced because Harry Seidler had a great love of proportion and the golden mean ratio in mathematics, which is directly related to musical harmony.

They entertained with such songs, arias and duets as O Mio Bambino Caro, Nessun Dorma, La Donna Mobile and The Flower Duet from Lakmé.

Soprano Milica Ilic - Principal Artist for Opera Australia in 2012

The owners of the biggest venue, Riverside Plaza were very chuffed and flew from Sydney to attend. The workers in the building attended, as did passers-by lured in by the sound and the scene.

The courier boy on his rounds stopped resting his back on the wall to shut his eyes and grab a few moments for himself, as did many executives and office workers.

A consultant producer of musical and community events to Brisbane City Council 2006 – 2010, my accepted brief was to take opera to the people, not have them come to it. The Operapolitan program went on to hold a further twenty-seven concerts at three Westfield Shopping Malls and twelve concerts at Retail First Shopping Centres.

Before we started we went and spoke to the principals of the Conservatorium of Music and Opera Qld asking if they would like to feature some of their emerging artists as well. The lovely student soprano Milica Ilic, who will be a new principal artist for Opera Australia in 2012, sang brilliantly as did sopranos Alicia Jane Lee who also formed the Ten Divas. Then there was Elizabeth McBride from Opera Queensland, who was both an experienced pediatric speech pathologist and successful opera singer. A rare combination

Christian Gante Accompaninst, Liza Beamish Coloratura, Andrew Pryor Tenor and Jeffrey Black Baritone, Launch of Operapolitan Queen Street Mall

We kicked them all off with another three concerts in the Queen Street Mall at Brisbane, where we were overwhelmed by the crowds that formed. The hurdles we had to jump included not using the Mall stage as the people who worked the stage each day wanted us to. But we didn’t decide how to arrange the stage for our performers until after we had been in the Queen Street Mall to meet up with the Stage Manager to discuss arrangements. Unbeknown to any of my staging team it was the day Queensland Opera was offering a free publicity performance to launch their new season. The Mall stage manager said he had deliberately invited us for that time because he wanted us to see how it was done ‘properly’! You can understand we were not amused that he patronised us all so pointedly.

We gathered patiently to watch the company set up in the usual way preferred by Stage staff. Facing down the mall where people sat neatly in rows on chairs as in a theatre. Control was the key. The opera company then, to our minds did a curious thing. They put their own ‘stage’ onto the existing stage. This way they raised the singers up above stage level on one side and ground level on the other. They turned their back to the third side, where people could stand, placing a black backdrop curtain ensuring they couldn’t see.

A professional interior designer and design history lecturer of some considerable experience, I was very disappointed, because I knew that in design raising people or objects up translated to instilling a notion they are the best or above everyone else.

It’s a deliberate technique architects use to great effect and did so very effectively during the so-called Baroque style period in Europe during the seventeenth century, at a time when opera became part of Louis XIV’s grand entertainments at the Chatéau at Versailles.

Just look at the Chateau Vaux le Vicomte outside Paris in the countryside.

This is the original palace of the first ‘Sun King’ Nicolas Fouquet (1615-1680). There it stands so splendidly on its platform set among stunning gardens and accessed by a great sweep of stone stairs.

It is a divine building in a divine garden setting. It cost a fortune, even in its day and subsequently it’s owner ended up in gaol after the King threw a hissy fit as Fouquet was his Minister for Finances.

The point is that it was deliberately designed to intimidate the approaching visitor and instill the notion the occupant was both wealthy and powerful. It works well even today. Any visitor having a one on one experience at Vaux cannot help be overwhelmed by it all. It added to my enjoyment of the place when visiting that I knew a great deal about its design. Knowledge allows you not to hopefully be ‘tricked’ by such clever devices.

It is telling too in that the architect Louis le Vau, designer Charles Le Brun and gardener Andre Le Notre, were all seconded from Fouquet by that same jealous young King Louis IV to renovate and extend his father’s old hunting lodge at Versailles into a chatéau, which provides a similar experience. Fouquet ended his days in prison and his family have been trying to clear his name since.

We would have to say Vaux is like a great, and very Grand Opera Diva on display.

Contemporary photographer’s also use the design ‘intimidation’ technique by kneeling down and shooting a photo looking up at someone, especially when they are deliberately trying to make that person look elitist or to raise them up ‘above’ everyone else.

This style of  ‘grand manner’ is an image Opera, to remain relevant in Australia has to leave behind. Opera is music of the people, about the people and for the people. All of them. And, as we can see design matters.

Larry Parkes as Al Jolson

Back at Brisbane in the Queen Street Mall we watched as the State Opera Company achieved a small audience and complete lack of participation or interaction with the public. There wasn’t any connection between what was happening on the stage and the audience at all.

Age can be a blessing in disguise sometimes, because I could not help remember an example of making music accessible to many. It was a scene in the first ‘talking’ movie ever made that caused millions to embrace cinema – The Jazz Singer. This was the story of Al Jolson (1886 – 1950) an American singer, comedian and actor who in his day was dubbed “The World’s Greatest Entertainer”. Played by Larry Parkes on screen Jolson’s story was a phenomenon in more ways than one. In the movie he declares to his manager that he hates being behind blinding lights on stage, because they stop him seeing the people in his audience’s faces.

The people he is singing to and for. This was important to him and his performance. The stage hands all think he’s mad, but he insists and has them build a runway into the audience, so that he could run along it, shake hands and kneel down and sing to people one on one. He was also resisting all those who wanted to put him on a pedestal to suit their own agendas.

Kylie Minogue and Reece Mastin tread the X Factor runway to meet their audience

Recently designers of the X Factor television show built a runway that went around behind the judges so the winning vocalist, Reece Mastin and his colleague Kylie Minogue, when singing a duet together could venture into the crowds too, receiving a great one on one reaction.

In the Queen Street Mall one very experienced stage worker re-invented the way the sound worked on the stage for the Operapolitan Team, because he was so excited to be involved in us changing how it worked.

By putting performers directly onto the stage surface and facing the audience another way, we opened up the arena so that people could surround the performers on three sides and offer them a far more intimate experience.

Despite being in the open the audience felt as if they were up close and personal and they responded accordingly by cheering wildly, calling out and, in some instances singing along.

Operapolitan Launch, Queen Street Mall with Liza Beamish Coloratura, Andrew Pryor Tenor and Guest Star Jeffrey Black, Baritone

Enjoyment of music today is about is ‘being there’. About being able to ‘express self’ by singing along, waving your arms about, jumping up and down and in some instances, screaming. This is what happens at most pop concerts. You don’t have to worry what anyone else thinks, because they are all doing the same thing. That makes contemporary music a ‘real’ experience.

We held three performances that day and most people stood while some older people, or people with babies in prams chilled out on the few benches available. We put out a few rows of chairs in the usual spot, which was now to one side and left plenty of room for people to gather behind them.

There were grandparents, mums and dads with children in hand or in strollers. There were teenagers galore, some with coloured hair, rings in their noses, ears or lips, as well as heaven forbid, even a few Goths who are known to flee classical music scenes. There were also a lot of hand holding romantics and lots of young parents with small children, who wonderfully held them up to listen. Everyone was relaxed and happy.

The clothes we asked them to wear were meant to be what they might wear on a first date.

Throughout the series the diversity of cultures listening was palatable. One family of Italians brought their grandfather because he had never seen opera live before.

The Gold Coast's lovely coloratura Liza Beamish, a superb songstress for all seasons

In the mall and in the shopping centres where the Operapolitan Team performed people cheered and clapped spontaneously and loudly.

After the performances they politely crowded the singers to grab autographs, to shake their hands and to say thank you. Many couples and some whole families also became groupies following us everywhere as the team performed.

The best thing for the team was that people came to tell us all their stories. They told us how they loved opera but couldn’t afford high prices, or to buy the posh dresses they felt they needed to wear when they went. And it kept them away. It was not that they did not like the music, which is a conclusion some people conveniently come to. They did and they do. However they felt (feelings are important) they were not wanted or accepted by their peers. How awful.

It seemed that over time Opera had got away from being about the music of the people, and the music of love and life. It had become a backdrop to a stage on which others performed for their own benefit.

That hopefully is set to change. Bless you Lyndon Terracini of Opera Australia for standing up and leading the change needed to make opera far more accessible from 2012 to those who want to enjoy its richness and wonderful music. It will surely add to their lives and to the thousands more who will be introduced to its magic for the very first time.

Carolyn McDowall, The Culture Concept Circle 2011

* developed by Antonio Gramsci

Related posts:

1. Changing Opera Culture in Australia: Vision & Taking Action
2. Opera, the Music of Love and Life
3. Looking forward to tenor Andrew Goodwin as Orpheus, questing for love for the Pinchgut Opera

French pop singer Sébastien Izambard, Spanish baritone Carlos Marín, American tenor David Miller and Swiss tenor Urs Bühler - Il Divo

The evolution of opera in Europe from its earliest beginnings to its heyday was a passionate pursuit of many people. It changed dramatically as it developed during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, responding to the times, people’s preferences and earth shattering events. Following World War II in the twentieth century, the son of an Italian émigré from Philadelphia, Mario Lanza (1921-1959) became the most famous tenor in the world, performing operatic music on film to the delight of millions of people. His passion spawned a generation of new singers, including members of the Three Tenors Placido Domingo (1941-) and Jose Carreras (1946-), who together with Luciano Pavarotti generated an even greater interest in opera world wide. They sang among the ancient ruins at Rome on July 7, 1990 – the eve of the FIFA World Cup Final, inspiring another generation of opera trained singers. This included four pop/opera crossover singers, who were united in 2002 by TV executive Simon Colwell to become Il Divo. Colwell certainly knows a good tenor when he hears one, understands what entertainment is all about and, that people really want to hear great voices singing great music.

Every year since 1999 in Australia, an outstanding advocate of music is invited to present The Peggy Glanville-Hicks Address. In 2011 Artistic Director for Opera Australia Mr Lyndon Terracini was invited to honour this, one of Australia’s great international composers. Raising many eyebrows with some remarks Mr. Terracini declared “There is a very passionate small group of people who can sometimes appear to be members of a club who feel that their views are the only opinions of real importance and that presenting what they want to see is the role of “their” opera company. “All of Sydney is talking about it” one of them said to me recently, referring to a particular production that, while being successful artistically, had experienced very poor attendances.

Artistic Director Opera Australia, Lyndon Terracini

I pointed out that only slightly more than 4,000 people had bought tickets for the production that this particular person was referring to and on last count there were a lot more than 4,000 people living in Sydney… “well all of my friends have seen it” was the response… and here you have the fundamental problem…. everyone at my “club” has seen it and bugger those who aren’t members of my club. That sense of patrician entitlement is not only at odds with what we regard as the Australian way of life, but it is also completely at odds with contemporary Australia” said Mr Terracini.

Not wanting people to take your words out of context Mr Terracini I have included a link to Opera Australia and added the address in PDF format at the bottom of this post to be downloaded. Your wake up call will surely embolden many to step up behind you. A neo-Renaissance is surely the way to go for opera, but without the ‘grand manner’ of the baroque perhaps more high-art meets the new hegemony of a fluid, ongoing contemporary society, one that values excellence and actively supports sharing the love around. Your courage, strength, sense of purpose and goal for that of ensuring opera, will be made much more accessible with your ‘Big Bold and Beautiful Program’ to be delivered from 2012 is admirable. How good is it also to know Opera Australia in 2013 will produce German composer, conductor and writer Richard Wagner’s huge operatic and very influential masterpiece, Der Ring des Nibelungen – usually abbreviated to The Ring.

If members of the infamous ‘arts club’ are interested in safeguarding the future of opera in Australia and, if they are genuine, they will step up to help you by challenging themselves first and then getting behind you Mr Terracini. They will dig deep to help you find the way forward and generously sponsor opera’s accessibility to the wider public by relieving the pressure from government. In the future governments will focus much more on health, education, science, technology, urban planning and investment in the environment, while trying to keep a balance with the ever expanding creative industries that they know are transforming everyday life.

Opera reflects the classical maturity of contemporary society while expressing its attitudes and philosophies, its fashions and passions^

The very essence of opera is that the music is integral to the story, not just incidental as in a ‘musical’ or a play with music. Early music operas are different to those produced during the second half of the nineteenth century, a time of working class militancy and organized socialist movements, built on the ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity. They contrasted greatly with the reality of intense and systematic discrimination between sexes and other cultures. Yet it is often described as a ‘golden age’?

To gain an appreciation for any culture and its art forms people have to be exposed to it, preferably one on one. If that’s not possible education is the next best thing. Perhaps the Renaissance Art Exhibition currently at The National Gallery of Canberra will be timely in helping to inspire and expand interest in the arts, as its advertisers suggest?

Greek philosopher Aristotle believed education about music should be introduced to the very young, because it had the power of forming character. If ever a discipline integrated the unconscious and emotional aspects of the mind with the intellectual and physical movement it would be music. Its choice is deeply personal, particularly with opera. This was reflected beautifully in the reaction of a Pretty Woman (actor Julia Roberts) when she was taken to the opera for the first time. Her whole story was about embracing great change.

At dinner recently with a young woman, who had just graduated music school was an enlightening experience. She let us all know she will be playing in a symphony orchestra soon. She also let me know she had fabulous teachers at university who brought the music alive and make it relevant to our time when I asked her about the music she liked, which included opera. Now she wants to have other young people engage with it as well, so she has become a teacher at a girl’s school, where she will no doubt imbue them with her enthusiasm for all sorts of classical music, because she has the passion and courage of her convictions. Spreading the word is also about the power of one.

If we were being truly multi-cultural in Australia then surely adding Chinese Opera to performances Opera Australia presents, would be a good thing. It would certainly deliver a mark of respect to a people and culture that has contributed much to Australia and her growth.

Inter-cultural conversations and cross -cultural dialogue, whether delivered in words or through music, is all about inventing the future of our global community, one in which we have respect for each other, each other’s ideas, traditions, arts and cultural concerns.

Just as today Western society is being educated about Eastern cultures in their turn the East are embracing knowledge of the West. The Internet has opened up the world invoking great and rapid change, as people in repressed societies find out that while a democratic society might be imperfect in many ways, it does have many benefits.

An all-new National Cultural Policy, currently being put in place by the Australian government, will hopefully be part of informing change. Recently the Australian Minister of the Arts said in an address to the Australian Film, Television and Radio School 2011 Graduation Ceremony

“I am looking to work with these training bodies through our new cultural policy and in particular, the development of the National Schools Curriculum. A curriculum, which places arts as one of the key learning disciplines… because the skills gained across the arts and creative industries are crucial to the innovative and flexible thinking needed in a 21st century economy”.

Innovative and flexible are the key words. Difficult to believe though that the Australian government has taken so long to catch up with what the rest of the western world seems always to have known about the benefits of studying the arts and classics. But there it is.

Diva Divine, American born Greek soprano Maria Callas (1923-1977) who kept the home fires burning as everyone recovered from World War II. Her voice was surely from heaven.

You will have no doubt offended many members of the ‘arts club’ you talk about, Mr Terracini with your words. And you are right. People with this attitude do exist and like to believe they are above everyone else in society. They also seem to believe they are not accountable to it, which is the scariest part. They have done their best to keep opera, one of the great forms of human expression “in house” for a long time. I for one can understand your frustrations and have felt them too, having spent three plus decades of my life hoping they would raise their gaze a little and see out and into the rest of the world.

Understanding why they take the stance they do has always been important to me. Human identity has so many dimensions, including time and place. Music is a key aspect in the formation of identity and community. We remember many of the events of our life by what songs are being sung at the time.

Following World War II European families, including grandmothers, grandfathers, cousins, aunts and uncles were all migrating to America and Australia. The older members kept the stories of their life at home in Europe alive through music, because it reminded them of when they were so happy and times were good. And we cannot blame them they all had a really horrible time.

Music from home became part of their survival mechanism, one they tried to pass on. I know this because I worked with many people who came to Australia in the two decades after the war on social profit committees at Sydney between the 70′s and the 90′s. They told me a great many stories that today most people would not deal with.

Vienna, the interior of the Opera House

Very often some of their children, and definitely their grandchildren were born into this different world and subsequently wanted more. This was about generational change and, appropriate. There had been a considerable shift in thinking from being in ‘survival’ mode during the war to embracing ‘self expression’ in a climate of peace. What their grandchildren and other people wanted out of life post-War was very different. It was hard for many of them to take this on board, having suffered so terribly.

It would be fair to say there is no right way or wrong way of looking at things, just different ideas in different places brought about by different times.

It has been my experience people club together through fear. After all many who migrated lost either some family members, or all of them. So dreadful. They lost their homes, their possessions, country of origin and cultural connections. Wounds like this run very deep and it takes a long time for them to heal. The only thing they could do was to hang on to the music. It was the only thing left that would rest their mind, feed their spirit and nurture their soul. Over the years music from the opera helped them to keep going. So it’s no surprise they wanted to just keep it close.

We also need to remember though that there are a minority of people among the ‘arts club’, who did not have these experiences and patronize everyone else and the public, because they have other fears and agendas.

Sydney Opera House, home for Opera Australia

Today as we move into the second decade of the 21st century the time is ripe for action, because many of these people are better placed to face their fears. It doesn’t mean their fears are not still relevant, but like the rest of us there is a point where they have to come to terms with them or life ceases.

We cannot build a bright future for the next generation on a rocky foundation, one of hurt and anger. However we can build social capital by using our intellectual capital. The last thing we want is to drift slowly into a genteel style of arts poverty in Australia.

Opera Australia as you pointed out receives the biggest grant of money from the state and national governments, and yet only reaches very few people on the scale of things. $20 million dollars of government funds is gleaned from taxes paid by Australian citizens to support it. As you also pointed out in your address, when you took over the opera company audiences for some operas were only reaching 4,000 people.

You were right, this fact is truly a scandal.

Michael Lewis and Jacqueline Mabardi in Opera Australia's Macbeth. Music Composer Giuseppe Verdi (1813 - 1901). It is a terrific opera, fast paced and full of good tunes. It is faithful to Shakespeare's powerful tragedy, which includes ambition, treachery, madness and mass murder. Pic: Jeff Busby

The ‘creative class’ of the last decade worldwide has transformed everyday life, helping to build and grow community spirit, attracting new investment and contributing much to local and national economies.

This has required technological infrastructure, a diversity of talent and above all, tolerance, persistence and endurance.

I learned to love opera music as a child watching Mario Lanza on the big screen. Many a world famous opera singer said his example was why they wanted to pursue opera as an art form.

Economies thrive when they are driven by inventiveness. But a truly creative society is not merely a game of solitaire any more, it is one played by a team, which requires both energy and awareness.

All types of creative industries increasingly are vital to our success as a national economy, and integral to extending the breadth and depth of our society and its cultural development. And so the funds allocations will change. They must provide the citizens who contribute so much with value for money.

Next year you have said Mr Terracini Opera Australia will play to 500,000 people with a program that will be popular, not populist.

If you expose people to the brilliance of opera singing there will be those who will then beg, borrow or steal to purchase a ticket to experience a real night at the opera.

After all some pay huge sums to see rock stars, you just have to get them to ‘grow’ their taste for other forms of music. Then they will want the real experience, just like that enjoyed by a really Pretty Woman.

Opera is about the people and for the people, all of them. The Operapolitan Team retained by Brisbane City Council (2006-2008) to present music to people in places where they gathered, gained a huge amount of feedback. They told us they really loved opera, but couldn’t afford the high prices to attend or, to buy the posh dresses they felt they had to wear when they went. This was because they were also very aware of the ‘disapproval’ of the so-called ‘arts club’. And it kept them away. It’s not that they did not like opera music, they did and loved it, but they felt (feelings are important) that they and their contribution was not wanted or worse still, not relevant.

It seemed to me at the time very sad that Opera had got away from being about the music of the people and instead become a backdrop for a stage on which others performed for their own benefit and hidden agendas.

Andrew Pryor Tenor, Christian Gante Pianist, Shaun Brown Baritone, Liza Beamish Coloratura performing for Operapolitan 2006 - 2008, an initiative of Brisbane City Council taking Opera to the People in the Queen St Mall, Westfield and Retail First Shopping Centres. The sponsor was Theme and Variations Piano Services, who supplied the Steinway Grand

How good is it to hear you are going to make Sydney Harbour a backdrop for an exciting presentation of La Traviata – that “Pretty Woman’ would be pleased. Change is about enabling and emboldening an expansion of knowledge and ideas about how arts, manufactures, commerce, ideas and music are integral to a cities growth and can contribute to it.

Raising an awareness of how the arts in all their forms will contribute to our very special cultural diversity and can only but benefit society as a whole. Perhaps if we start singing the old Labour political tag tune “It’s Time” to encourage arts ‘patricians’ in Australia to throw open their doors and let the ‘plebeians’ in it may help. If they don’t well, they really could sign the death knell of the music they profess to care about.

Opera is the music of love and life and the last thing we want is that it becomes irrelevant. It is an elite form of art and long should it remain so. No one wants that more than me. But it should never be elitist. In such a progressive society as Australia change is constant and people need to embrace it. There’s a great many Mr Terracini, who would gladly help, as well as give you three cheers for stepping up and taking the lead in changing opera culture in Australia – it is not just all about having the vision, but about taking the action. Go well.

Carolyn McDowall, The Culture Concept Circle 2011

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD MR LYNDON TERRACINI’S PEGGY GLANVILLE-HICKS ADDRESS 2011

* Maria Callas

^Carolyn McDowall, Operapolitan 2006=2008

Definition of OPERA – Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music, 4th edition By Michael Kennedy and Joyce Bourne Copyright © 1996 Oxford University Press By permission of Oxford University Press

Related posts:

1. Showcasing Opera: Taking the Music of Love & Life to People
2. OPERA AUSTRALIA on the Big Screen
3. Vivaldi’s Griselda – Pinchgut Opera, a Decade of Excellence