This week My Way visits the Gold Coast, where breathtaking beaches and an idyllic skyline give way to a thriving arts and cultural scene, Sunday at 5.30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.
Twenty-four years ago, Natasha Edwards twinned her connection to the ocean with a love of public art to create the Swell Sculpture Festival. Now Queensland’s largest free outdoor public art exhibition, the festival gives artists a space to create, be inspired, and share their work. Year after year Natasha transforms the coastline into an expansive open-air gallery, fostering community and a deep connection between people, art and places.
Uncle John Graham is a Kombumerri Traditional Custodian of the Gold Coast, a saltwater man of the Yugambeh language group, whose links to country date back 20,000 years. On board the Jellurgal Cruise with Culture, Uncle John welcomes guests to an open yarning circle at sea. Through cultural interpretation and personal recollections, including childhood memories of a much smaller Surfers Paradise, he reveals a side of the Gold Coast rarely seen on postcards: a place of deep family memory and enduring connection.
At the three-hatted Palette Restaurant, Dayan Hartill-Law blends art and fine dining to create special memories for his patrons. Tucked into the heart of the Gold Coast’s home of contemporary arts, Dayan draws inspiration from each exhibition that cycles through the art gallery, crafting menus that reflect the themes, colours and styles of the pieces on show. Dining with Dayan is a unique experience to savour the changing tastes of art.
We also meet Mark “Duck” Duckworth, who spent his youth in bands and digging through record shops. Today he is the director of Blues on Broadbeach, one of Australia’s biggest free music festivals. Duck built the festival to give local musos a shot at sharing the stage with international headliners. Always hands-on, he’s still scouring record stores and late-night gigs to unearth the next deserving artist. And after 25 years, the festival continues to give them a chance to dream big without having to leave the Gold Coast.
Tune in to see how these “ideas people” full of energy and passion are shaping the Gold Coast’s artistic identity, on My Way this Sunday at 5.30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.
