Episode 2 — Arts Garden: Fringe curation, cosmic art, comedy bodies, and expanded sound

Episode Two of Arts Garden is firmly in Adelaide Fringe mode, moving between curation, creation, and the different ways artists make meaning in a noisy world.

We’re joined by Joanne Hartstone (Joanne Hartstone Presents), marking 20 years at Adelaide Fringe, to talk through her 2026 program — from intimate, high-impact theatre and myth-driven storytelling to new work designed to “catch fire” in small rooms. Joanne reflects on curation as care, longevity in Fringe, and why the best work colours us in rather than shouting at us.

The conversation then turns to Splendour: The Transcendental Experience of Nature, with curator Jessica Curtis and Wirangu/Kokatha mixed-media artist Ashleigh Anne Bruza. Together they explore art as a bridge between spirituality, science, culture and Country — touching on sacred geometry, plant communication, ancestral knowledge of the stars, and the importance of culturally safe, judgement-free creative spaces.

We also hear from Nicola Brown, award-winning New Zealand comedian and clinical psychologist, whose Fringe show Space Invaders uses sharp, fearless comedy to explore bodies, health, identity and power — blending humour, social commentary and radical honesty in a way that’s both confronting and deeply humane.

And we preview the sound world of Liana Perillo, Melbourne-based harpist, vocalist and composer, whose electro-acoustic harp quartet expands the instrument through pedals, strings and layered textures — creating music that’s immersive, emotionally precise, and quietly experimental.

Along the way, James and Bronwyn reflect on:

• why Fringe still matters for risky, intimate work
• how art reconnects us to bodies, nature and attention
• and what it means to listen — properly — in uncertain times

Guests: Joanne Hartstone · Jessica Curtis · Ashleigh Anne Bruza · Nicola Brown · Liana Perillo
Recorded on: Arts Garden, 3D Radio 93.7FM

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