ASEF Unplugged: Arts Futures

Referencing the Australia Council for the Arts’ research area Arts Futures as the anchor for conversation, this edition of ASEF Unplugged aims to spur local arts workers to begin thinking about their future as artists, their roles in society, and their connectedness beyond our island.

Often, artists and producers are concerned with the immediate challenges and practicalities of making work locally. Yet, to live in an interconnected world undergoing profound disruption now demands their attention to urgently respond and plan for possible futures.

This edition of ASEF Unplugged: Arts Futures can be attended in two parts, either or both:

Part One:

Join us for an afternoon of sharing by Dr Ruth Williams, Research Associate from the Australia Council for the Arts. The Arts Futures body of work explores the evolving environment for the arts and society in Australia. Its research activities draws on knowledge that looks to the past and learns from the present, with the aims of identifying, understanding the challenges of disruption and harnessing its opportunities for the future. Dr Ruth will introduce key themes of focus and the research findings that arose out of Arts Futures. It will be followed by responses from the Singapore contexts delivered by Ms Yvonne Tham, CEO of The Esplanade Co Ltd, and Ms Hasyimah Harith, Company Manager of P7:1SMA. The conversation will be moderated by Ms Fatima Avila, Project Manager at ASEF.

Part Two:

Participate in a workshop facilitated by Ms Bec Barnett, co-director of Relative Creative (Australia), exploring the question “What is the role of the arts in the face of uncertain and fragile futures, in an interconnected world?” This rapid taster 3-hour workshop uses a unique design thinking process to explore and map out how change and disruption might be navigated and what role art might play in this. We encourage participants from a variety of sectors to join us, forming interdisciplinary teams for a collective navigation of the socially and ethically-complext web emerging from an increased global focus on technologies

This session of ASEF Unplugged was jointly presented by ASEF, Australia Arts Council, and Centre 42.