6 free and fun ways to get your virtual culture fix

Bundyi Cultural Tours based in the Riverina region in southern New South Wales are offering cultural awareness training via Zoom.

See your favourite adorable native Australian animals; walk in the virtual ancient footsteps of the Wiradjuri people; and learn about the Aboriginals, the oldest people of the known universe.

To get a glimpse, view some videos on their YouTube channel here.

Presented by Sydney Chamber Opera and Carriageworks together with the Sydney Conservatorium of Music’s Composing Women Program, Breaking Glass is broken into four one-act operas by four brilliant female composers.

This isn’t your typical opera. You can expect electronic music, abstract aural soundscapes, smoke surrounding performers, kaleidoscopic digital projections and stories firmly planted in the 21st century.

The spectacle can be viewed on Carriageworks’s Facebook here.

“Optimism through Art” is the aim of the new Together in Art digital space on the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ website. It contains bite-sized art experiences that you didn’t know you needed, but it’ll capture your attention and give you something beautiful, inspiring, unsettling or unusual to hook onto — even for a short while. 

Watch painter Ben Quilty and his daughter Livvy show you how to draw a face; artist Nell’s three-minute video on how to solve a problem; and clips of singers Sarah Belkner and Ngaiire performing in empty exhibition spaces.

It’s a digital gallery where you can actively learn, or simply tune into something more transportive than the latest Tik Tok track doing the rounds.

If you prefer culture a little closer to home, there’s our very own Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) where one can virtually explore our region’s rich cultural and artistic heritage.

Check out ACM’s collection of Asian antiquities and decorative arts masterpieces (this informative Facebook video explains the rich history of Canton depicted in the artwork on this “hong bowl”); view artefacts from their Instagram page; recreate Asian masterpieces with things that can be found in the home; and tap on ACM’s kid-friendly online resources to add some fun to your kids’ Home-Based Learning.

Visit https://www.nhb.gov.sg/acm/ for more information.

While fans can’t flock to the Sydney Film Festival (SFF) in person this year, the festival is bringing the movie magic to you at home instead. First, it’s teaming up with 19 other top fests from around the world to present We Are One: A Global Film Festival – a free 10-day festival that’ll be streamed on YouTube. Then, a couple of days after that’s all done, SFF is holding its own ticketed online event. 

Sydney Film Festival: Virtual Edition will run from June 10 to June 21, focusing on three of the annual event’s popular programming strands: Documentary Australia Foundation Award for Australian Documentary, Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films, and Europe! Voices of Women in Film. That means that when you’re not spending 10 days watching brand new world-premiering Aussie docos from the comfort of your couch, you can check out the best short flicks from emerging filmmakers and the latest features from Europe’s talented female directors.

As part of the Capella Hotels’ #HomeWithCapella series, Camp guru Budi shares the beautiful story behind the name ‘Ubud’ and how it captures the place’s unique healing nature.

Capella Ubud also shares their special Jamu recipe which stems from ancient knowledge that has been passed down from generation to generation.