News Archive

“Keeping the arts and culture alive in an economically booming Australia” 30 April 2008

The second seminar in our Semester 1 “Seeking wisdom” series gave the audience some food for thought indeed.
Oron Catts opened the presentations with an arresting image of a mouse with an ear created on its back – an image he considers one of the most important of the 20th century. He explained that the mouse was created not by an artist but by a scientist and that it represented surrealism coming alive. Oron raised questions about the role of artists in society – what is their social contract? – and distinguished art from design by its non-utilitarian nature. This rang a bell with some scientist in the audience who feel a devaluing of “pure” science research. Oron described the work of SymbioticA, the world-renowned art/science laboratory at UWA, and stressed the importance of artists keeping abreast of technology and science so that scientists were not the only people grappling with the issues that arise.

Indigenous consultant Noel Nannup honoured us with a welcome in language and spoke of the necessity of integrating modern culture based on technology with ancient Aboriginal wisdom based on common sense. He said that economic boom times commonly delivered Aboriginal Australians with new prisons, and this boom was no exception. However, he felt that the time was right for a change and after years of personally chipping away at things, he could see opportunities for Aborigines with resource companies. Noel said that the oral culture of the Aborigines implied listening too, and that indigenous knowledge of country is a huge resource available to all Australians. He acknowledged the influence of his parents who raised ten children and taught them to make a contribution to society, and to leave a small footprint, and he stressed the importance of passing on cultural understandings form generation to generation. Finally he warned that just as Aborigines had to adapt rapidly to change when the tall ships came, we may now all have to adapt rapidly on a global scale.

Vivienne Glance, a playwright and performer, opened her talk with a quote from the British playwright David Hare, who said that “the best way to learn a nation’s history is by reading its plays of that period”. She suggested that all art forms are expressions of cultural identity. Vivienne presented materials submitted to the recent 2020 Summit by the Australia Council for the Arts that implied the commoditisation of the arts, and she suggested that the comparatively small number of submissions to the cultural stream for the summit are an indication of how we value – or don’t value – the arts. However the recent huge response to a play in Perth showed that cultural expression can generate debate. “The York Crucifixion”, which depicted Christ as a woman, created a storm of discussion in the press. Having raised the idea of cultural diplomacy – a way of sharing our identity – Vivienne suggested that some cultural diplomacy between arts and science might be a good idea. She finished by quoting Cate Blanchett, who said at the Summit, “Science and art are siblings. Science and art are different outcomes of the same primal urge in us all to engage with, to detail, and to affect narratives and patterns.”

Next seminar:

Our next seminar in the “Seeking wisdom” series will be held at 5.30 in the same place, Seminar room 1.81 in the School of Anatomy and Human Biology at the University of Western Australia (two buildings south of Shenton House on the Matilda Bay side of the campus).

Seminar 3, 14 May 08 Eternal/infernal economic growth

The industrial knowledge and information technology revolutions have collectively driven a steady global economic growth for perhaps the last two centuries. We live in the expectation, sometimes unquestioning belief, that this growth together with an increased material 'standard of living' will continue into the foreseeable future. Our politicians assert this as part of their election mantra. Our optimistic technologists and economists generally believe that their 'breakthroughs' will underwrite seemingly unlimited growth.
But are such beliefs reasonable? Are they wise? Has economic growth already touched on the infernal (global warming)?
The seminar will be chaired by A/Prof Peter Morgan and speakers are Dr Michael Chaney, Dr Carmen Lawrence, and Professor Graeme Martin.
There is no charge to attend, and refreshments are provided.

Next seminars in our “Seeking wisdom” series

(Find more details at www.ihs.uwa.edu.au . )

May 28 Human altruism, local and global, in theory and practice
June 11 From information to wisdom
June 25 Greening Australia: why, when and how

About the Centre for Integrated Human Studies

You can find out more about the Centre and about IHS at our web site www.ihs.uwa.edu.au . If you are interested in enrolling in postgraduate courses in IHS, please contact the Director, A/Prof Neville Bruce on 6488 3292 or email [email protected] .

Tell us what you think

Please feel free to give us your comments, thoughts or suggestions for future seminar topics by emailing Karen on [email protected] .

Media references

Karen Connolly