Festival of Ideas

The pursuit of identity Landscape, History and Genetics

The University of Melbourne

University of Melbourne

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Australian Identity: Australian Bio-diversity and the Landscape of Imagination

Debate

How singular and distinctive is the Australian landscape? Does the landscape/cityscape/suburban experience still shape Australian identity?

The connection between landscape and national identity figures prominently in discussions of Australian experience. Recently the pairing of the two has taken a melancholic turn; artist Ian Burn has remarked that ‘A commitment to representing the landscape has come to be about the “loss” of the landscape’. Has the landscape that once supported the Australian legend disappeared? The landscape is represented not only in art but also through science, law and commerce. Are new landscapes and new identities now being imagined and discovered?

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  • Carrillo Gantner Theatre, Sidney Myer Asia Centre
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Speakers

  • Chris mcauliffe photo 1

    Chris McAuliffe (Chair)

    The University of Melbourne

    Director of the Ian Potter Museum of Art

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  • Ary hoffman

    Ary Hoffmann

    Centre for Environmental Stress and Adaptation Research

    Australian Laureate Fellow

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  • Richard-roush-photo

    Rick Roush

    The University of Melbourne

    Dean of the Melbourne School of Land and Environment

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  • Tim-bonyhady-photo

    Tim Bonyhady

    Australian National University

    Director of the Australian Centre for Environmental Law and the Centre for Climate Law and Policy

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  • Janine-burke

    Janine Burke

    Monash University

    Author, Novelist and Freelance Curator

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  • Nigel-stork-photo

    Nigel Stork

    The University of Melbourne

    Head of the Department of Resource Management and Head

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