Performance Art

When most of us think of mini-golf, images of resin palm trees, windmills and exaggeratedly cartoonish obstacles come to mind. It’s often dismissed as frivolous, a pastime for children and holiday crowds. Yet nestled within Melbourne’s abandoned Flinders Street ballroom, the Rising festival’s new exhibition “Swingers” challenges this stereotype with a radical, feminist twist. Designed by nine women artists from around the globe, each hole pays homage to mini-golf’s origin as a rebellious protest against gender exclusion, while simultaneously transforming the cavernous space into a series of immersive, interactive art installations.

When Tim Minchin and I sit down together for an episode of Creative Types, we are both in the midst of grief. I’m about to fly home to deliver my mother’s eulogy. Tim lost his mother a year before. The moment is quiet, candid, and unexpectedly unifying — a reminder that the deepest connections often come through our shared vulnerability.