Textiles and Dress

Culture of Brisbane

Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, is a leading cultural centre in Australia and a major arts hub in the Asia-Pacific region, known for its visual and performing arts, literature, music, architecture, cuisine, festivals, and public art. The city is a key site for Indigenous Australians and South Sea Islanders cultural expression. With a history of diverse migration, Brisbane developed as a major port in the 19th century, attracting migrants from Britain and Ireland, Germany, Italy, China, Russia, and the South Pacific. Today, Brisbane is one of the world’s most multicultural cities, with 31.7 % of its inhabitants born overseas, and more than 200 languages spoken. Brisbane is home to a range of Australian cultural icons, such as the Brisbane City Hall, the Story Bridge, and the South Bank Parklands. Other symbols often associated with the city include, its hilly terrain, its famous Queenslander architecture, the city’s catamaran ferries known as CityCats as well as the Brisbane River, its signature Jacaranda trees, and its distinct café culture, often housed in converted Queenslanders. Brisbane has a significant history of social movements; for its role in the global labour movement, becoming the capital of the world's first labour government, as well as the site of Australia's first general strike, and was Australia's primary battleground for civil rights in the mid to late 20th century with protests in the anti-war movement, Indigenous land rights, anti-apartheid, and the Right to March protests which saw the first "phantom marches" take place. The city has been the birthplace of major cultural movements, including the Harvey School in Australian ceramics, for its role in early punk rock and indie pop scenes, and counter-cultural Indigenous movements such as ProppaNOW. The city regularly hosts major international events, such as the Brisbane Festival, one of Australia’s largest international arts festivals, and the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art.

Also on this shelf

See also

• ▸History of the cotton industry in Catalonia
• ▸Alexander Rodchenko
• ▸Banjar people

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Text from Wikipedia; plate via Wikimedia Commons. Text CC BY-SA 4.0; plate freely licensed (see Commons). Source record. Images and catalogue data are reproduced from open-access collections.