OLIVIA J. BENNETT

Hello! I’m an arts writer, researcher and critic based in Brisbane, Australia.

I've reviewed and written about art, film, music, and digital culture in Australian and international publications. I’ve also played a pivotal role in the programming, digital production, and successful delivery of numerous projects within Australia’s film and music industry.

I'm fascinated by how global trends intertwine with personal stories, revealing the impact of cultural issues on our daily lives. In my work, I prefer to experiment with non-linear storytelling, multiple perspectives, and mixed media to capture the intricacy of modern cultural tensions.

I’ve been honoured to participate in Gertrude Contemporary’s Emerging Writers Program and the Melbourne International Film Festival’s Critics Campus.

I'm also a freelance copywriter, content writer, and strategist whose work is driven by principles of complexity and interconnectedness.

With five years of freelancing, three years in agency environments, and two years navigating Melbourne's strictest COVID-19 lockdowns, I've faced real tests of resilience and adaptability in my career. This experience has enriched my ability to develop copywriting, content, and strategy for various sectors, including tech, health, lifestyle, retail, design, construction, hospitality and (of course) the arts.

I completed a Bachelor of Art History and Curating at Monash University, majoring in Film Studies. For my BA Honours thesis in Screen and Cultural Studies at Melbourne University, I argued that the documentary films of Harvard University’s Sensory Ethnography Lab are hyperobjects. Applying Timothy Morton’s concept through poetics, I explored their capacity to provoke a transgressive experience of ecological thought and feeling.

On a personal note, I'm on track to pass the DELF B2 French exam in 2025, and I am currently working on launching new business ventures that will further leverage my expertise and passions.

Souhaitez-moi bonne chance!

DENNIS

Sega Bodega

Written by Olivia J. Bennett
Edited by Isabella Trimboli
Published in print by The Big Issue AU
Issue #713 | 07 June 2024

Sega Bodega returns feverishly with his third, folkloric album Dennis, the product of a self-professed manic episode. We ride scattered highs with tracks like ‘Adulter8’, which fuse Bodega’s industrial, bass-heavy stylings with 8-bit melodies – a nod to the artist’s name and a broader feeling of insatiable yearning. Dancehall beats mix with chopped and screwed vocals, roller-coasting high and low in ‘Elk Skin’, before speeding into the hectic BPM and rambling lyricism of ‘Kepko’. Most impressive is ‘Tears & Sighs’, where Bodega’s deep voice convincingly pleads, “Give into me, give into me,” as a throbbing club beat builds. Suddenly, dropping into acoustic guitar, we’re pushed away by “Don’t talk to me, don’t even look at me”. Flinging between these opposites, Bodega blurs the line between nostalgia and fantasy, tradition and experimentation, ecstasy and misery to produce a beautifully tortured release. It’s only in the final track, ‘Coma Salv’, with its twinkling keys and soft resonance, that we find rest, sinking into an otherworld Bodega seems desperately striving to reach.