Inside Culture #12 (Plastic Jesus, Kate Tempest, Museum of Brands, Frank Trentmann, Opera Divas)

Broadcast on 27th June 2016

On tonight’s episode of Inside Culture we meet with Plastic Jesus is an LA-based English street artist, speak to UK poet, musician and novelist Kate Tempest, celebrate the divas and passionate women of opera, and find out how we’ve become a world full of consumers and brand lovers over the past 600 years.

Plastic Jesus is an LA-based English street artist who creates stencil and installation work, inspired by urban life, culture and politics. His work is in high demand, despite only devoting himself to art a few years ago. We met with him at Joseph Fine Art Gallery in London where his work is on sale alongside pieces by Damien Hirst, Banksy and Francis Bacon. Check out plasticjesus.net

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Kate Tempest is a poet, spoken word artist and playwright. In 2013, she was the youngest poet to win the Ted Hughes Award for her work Brand New Ancients. She has also been nominated for a Mercury Award for her album Everybody Down. She talked to us about her new novel, The Bricks that Built the Houses, which is published by Bloomsbury.

The Museum of Brands in London has 12,000 products on display and we went on a tour to find out about the origins of the branded consumer product. Robert Opie founded the museum and he tells us how his fascination with brands began with a packet of munchies. Check out museumofbrands.com for more information.

Frank Trentmann, chats to us about his book Empire of Things – How We Became a World of Consumers, from the Fifteenth Century to the Twenty-First which is published by Allen Lane. He challenges the assumption that we became a consumer society in the post-war years.

Damsels Damned and Divas Delighted is a concert being held by the Irish Songmakers in Dublin on Friday 8th July. It’s a celebration of passionate women from the world of opera. We chat to soprano Sandra Oman, who is performing at the concert, about some of the best known heroines of opera. Visit nch.ie for tickets.