The New Folk Art

Is culture a set of elaborate and elaborately-funded life support systems, or an infection that's trying to attack us? What's the difference between a symphony orchestra and a covers band (apart from about $40 million dollars a year) and why does the Australia Council spend more money on a single opera company than all the visual artists and musicians (not including symphony orchestras) in the country combined? This week presenter Marcus Westbury meets the artists who have turned Hosier Lane in Melbourne into one of Australia's prime tourist attractions; hangs out with multimedia musicians The Herd; and wonders why the games industry has so much money but so little content. Creator of the Australian game Escape from Woomera, Katharine Neil, has some ideas why, which she shares with Marcus. We also find out what uncollectable art is.