Feeling Culturally Deficient? 5 Ways You Can Get Your Culture On(line)

By Chava Kuchar

This time last year I was sitting down under an olive tree amongst the ruins of the ancient Tower of David watching a gaggle of women assisting each other in preparation for a night of music, fashion and art. I know, it sounds like something reminiscent of days past and yet it was entirely new and modern- it was the first Overall Festival in Jerusalem last July.

View of the Old City of Jerusalem and Tower of David

Surrounding me were lights, projections, performance artists, fashion designers and artists- infusing their contemporary practice with the hollow balconies of history. As I wandered from gallery to mezzanine, I heard something erupt upon the roof. Sneaking my way there through the people and the tiny maze-like paths, I came upon an unfolding drag show (not a month following the Jerusalem Pride festival, it was good to see a continued presence loud and proud) and unsurprisingly, it was where I found all my Tel-Avivian friends. And as I watched from this vantage point, I could see the entire breathtaking festival. 

Following my fill of the spectacle I stumbled across a small space beyond the dance floor where I was invited to sit down and have my portrait drawn by Shiri, a graphic designer green lighting as an illustrator. And under the watchful eyes of a transient audience, we got to share this intimate exchange. Shortly after, I met a colleague, and we explored some more, but we are old, and we were hungry, and so long before the festival ended we made our exit in search of some food.

And on that one cloudless evening last year, I managed to experience more fashion, art and culture than I have in all of 2020. Somehow, Zoom, live streaming and digital tours and showings haven’t satisfied in quite the same way. Yet, on the other hand, what is so impressive is our ability to adapt, pivot and find solutions and fulfilment during this challenging time.

So, to celebrate our ability to maintain and experience creative production during this time we are sharing our top 5 online spaces to be this 2020;

(1)       We couldn’t go past the Art Gallery New South Wales’s beautiful initiative Together in Art series the AGNSW’s which features a range of artists and musicians inviting us into their studio, practice and gallery collections to co-create with them.

(2)       Similarly, we love the National Gallery of Victoria’s online channel, which offers you online exhibition, self-guided tours, artmaking tutorials and other family-friendly activities.

(3)       No one wants to be in New York right now, not even New Yorkers. So it’s perfect that the Metropolitan Museum of Art is offering you up all their fashion and costume through the Met Online experience- specifically the Rei Kawakubo /Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between and all exhibition’s Chanel.

(4)       If you haven’t heard of Jada, Willow, & Gammy yet, there is very little that I need to say other than 3 generations, 1 table, no filter. It’s Red Table Talk. You’re Welcome!

(5) The fashion industry is at an exciting precipice right now; they are adapting, experimenting with new forms of exhibition and showing, from digital broadcasts to augmented reality to in-person shows produced at a safe social distance. But why is any of that necessary when we can keep visiting the same place we always have when we couldn’t access what we wanted in person: Vogue Runway. Vogue Runway offers the most current collections of fashion, slide by slide, at the highest production level. And all from the safety of your personal computer or phone- why do you need to go any further when it’s so clearly too early to start safely having in-person fashion events again.