2019 Speakers

Distinguished Professor Ien Ang is one of the leaders in cultural studies worldwide, with interdisciplinary work spanning many areas of the humanities and social sciences

Evelyn Araluen is a poet born, raised and writing on Dharug country, and a descendent of the Bundjalung nation. She is official poet for The Big Anxiety festival. Evelyn Araluen’s contribution is generously supported by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund.

Scientia Professor Jill Bennett is an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow who researches lived experiences of mental health and ageing at UNSW’s feltExperience & Empathy Lab (fEEL). She is founding director of The Big Anxiety and is a Chief Investigator on Curating Third Space: The value of art-science collaboration

Adrian Collette is Australia Council’s Chief Executive Officer. Adrian has enjoyed an extensive career in the arts, publishing and education fields

Megan Davis is an Aboriginal Australian activist and human rights lawyer. She  currently serves as a United Nations expert with the UN Human Rights Council’s Expert Mechanism on the rights of Indigenous peoples based in UN Geneva

Jonathan Dunk is a widely published scholar, poet and essayist, he has been awarded the A.D. Hope prize, and the Dal Stivens award, and lives on Wangal Country. Jonathan Dunk’s contribution is generously supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund

Bonney Djuric is an artist, historian, adjunct lecturer NIEA, UNSW and co-founder of Parragirls Female Factory Precinct Memory Project

Claire Doherty, MBE is a producer, writer and curator and was founder Director of Situations, the UK international producing company

Honor Eastly is an artist, mental health activist and presenter of The Big Feels Club podcast. Due to unforeseen circumstances Honor Eastly is no longer able to travel to Sydney. The Big Feels Club will be represented by co-founder Graham Panther

Nina Ernst is the Associate Director, Programmes for ArtScience Museum Singapore. Her work at the museum spans public engagement through tours, talks and workshops

Mehreen Faruqi is the Greens Senator for NSW. Mehreen is a civil and environmental engineer and life-long activist for social and environmental justice

Lynn Froggett is Professor of Psychosocial Welfare at University of Central Lancashire and an expert on cultural impact and new model cultural institutions. She is a Chief Investigator on Curating Third Space: The value of art-science collaboration

Lisa Havilah is the CEO of the Powerhouse Museum. She took up this role in January 2019 following her role as Director of Carriageworks

Shona Illingworth is a Danish Scottish artist who is known for her research-led practice in which she explores the dynamic processes of memory and construction of histories in situations of trauma 

As an artist, psychologist and academic, Debra’s work focusses upon the personal/social impacts of disability

Uti Kulintjaku is an NPY Women’s Council project that is Anangu-led by artists and traditional ngangkari healers addressing the trauma of youth suicide through practices of deep listening

Rene is from the Northern Territory community of Mutitjulu and is a Director of NPY Women’s Council. She is well known as an artist; her most famous design is ‘Yananyi Dreaming’, which covers a Qantas Boeing 737

Associate Professor Lizzie Muller is a curator specialising in audience experience and collaborative cultures. She researches the future of cultural organisations as sites of participatory knowledge creation. She is a Chief Investigator on Curating Third Space: The value of art-science collaboration

John O’Shea is a cultural leader, creative producer and exhibition-maker committed to exploring the boundaries of art and science. He is Associate Director (Creative) at Science Gallery London, a new gallery (part of King’s College London) where artists work in relation to emerging science and technology research.

Clive Parkinson is the Director of Arts for Health and convenor of the Manchester Institute for Arts, Health and Social Change. He believes that the arts help us make sense of the world and challenge the inequalities that grind us down

As Director — Community, Emerging and Experimental Arts, Jeremy oversees the Australia Council’s engagement with these two dynamic interdisciplinary arts practice fields

Karen Therese is the Artistic Director of PYT Fairfield. She is also an interdisciplinary artist, creative producer and cultural activist