Sisonke's Guide to 'A Day of Ideas'
'A Day of Ideas' brings together people who make Perth special
If you’re looking for a chance to laugh and be charmed by local leaders, people with a sense of adventure and curiosity, people with talent and a lot of heart, then come along to A Day of Ideas on Sat 19 Feb.
Keep scrolling for curator Sisonke Msimang's take on the three Blocks (these are like sessions).
How the day works
You can grab a ticket for just one or two Block's (A, B or C) OR dive right in and grab a ticket for all three (and get a discount).
There's a dinner break between Block B and C featuring entertainment and it's a chance to eat some food and nourish your mind with conversation!
3pm Block A | Wave after Wave
The first not-to-miss session is with Clarissa Ball, an art historian whose ideas have shaped a generation of students, artists and curators coming out of WA. She’ll be asking the question “What do we see at sea?”
Her talk explores the seascape through art and examines some tough questions about the islands off the coast of mainland Australia that we are not allowed to depict or even imagine.
This is followed by a rollicking conversation between seafaring women Holly Knight and Karen Wheatland who have both spent much of their lives on the ocean. Holly is a researcher who lived on a boat with her family while trying to understand the effect of plastics, and Karen is the first female Tugboat hand in the port of Fremantle.
Bellamore Ndayikeze features in Block B
5.10pm Block B | How Good's Australia
Then we glide into a block of conversations that celebrates (yes celebrates!) the fact that our city has found ways to express its multiculturalism in its changing aesthetic.
We'll kick off with a conversation about hair braiding and its roots and very contemporary expressions lead by Linda Iiza, Shanice Mwathi, Patient Beyan and Chiluba Young.
Next up is a discussion about generosity, called Open Arms. This all-star cast of community-minded leaders includes Chis Lin whose work with PEN on Burma uplifts the country's literature and writing. It also features Bellamore Ndayikeze who is a major threat on the footy field both as a player and coach. She’s the driving force behind the Edmund Rice Centre Lions who inspired player Fatou Toure (who will be joining us on stage) to take up the game. They will be joined by members of Refugee Swim who teach new members of the Perth community how to look at the sea as a place of fun and adventure rather than fear.
Taking us to dinner is Rock Steady and it will get your body moving! Join the crews from Community Meeting and Freedom Academy in a conversation about dance and its power to connect communities. Mubanga’s choreography has put him on the map as one of the most exciting performers in the country, and Krissy Pierre Collins is one half of a dynamic duo that uses hip hop dance as a way to help young people stay focussed and excited about life.
There will be a fun dance demonstration in the courtyard after the show! You don’t need your dancing shoes, but no one will object if you snap your fingers and bop your head.
7.30pm Block C | Love, Punk and Rugby
And then join us for the finale, the main meal, an hour of real-life storytelling called Love, Punk and Rugby featuring performers from the Centre for Stories.
Simone Detourbet tells a story about being the middle child in a chaotic household full of love and drama; Colin Archibald talks about his first sighting of the sea; Nadia Heisler introduces us to a beautiful man with strawberry hair; Neil Fernandes gives us a tour of the early Perth punk scene and Nobu Hara shares his story of growing up deaf in Japan and finding a gay rugby team in Perth.
You will float home excited and exhausted and I can guarantee, your faith in humanity will be restored.