“An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all,” said that witty warrior of a wordsmith Oscar Wilde. And given the tragedy of the inimitable Irish writer’s downfall, brought on by an unwise libel case that backfired spectacularly, few could have felt that withering wisdom more keenly.
It’s fitting, then, that the Festival of Dangerous Ideas (FODI) borrows the phrase for its sassy title. After a couple of years in the wilderness, everyone’s favourite celebration of system shaking bright minds returns to Eveleigh’s vast arts emporium Carriageworks for the first IRL edition since 2018, with local and international speakers appearing live and in person.
Presented by The Ethics Centre from September 17-18 and under the banner ‘All Consuming’, expect a line-up that’s A LOT. The festival is all about celebrating those willing to bring down the house with the sort of stuff others fear to say, but always in a rigorously constructive way (not like, in a screaming into the social media void way).
Aside from talks, you also have the chance to score some fresh ink for nix. The weekend-long live action installation Whole Glory sees US provocateur and tattoo-artist-to-the-stars Scott Campbell asking audience members to simply trust him. He will ink you, for free. The only catch? It will be without meeting, looking or talking to you at all. He will do what he wants. A permanent memento from a celebrated celebrity tattooist and a great tale awaits those brave enough to bare their flesh.
Over in the thinky-talky contingent, whistle-blower Frances Haugen’s blowtorch session Unmasking Facebook is sure to be spicy. She’ll share her insights into her time fighting misinformation and defending democracy on the all-powerful platform, only to discover that she might, in fact, be working for the enemy. This includes a behind-the-scenes look at the social media giant’s savage takedown of the site in Australia that managed to sideswipe hospitals and emergency services (not to mention Time Out).
If you share the very real fear that our online time is melting our minds, then you’ll also want to check out Caught in a Web featuring fellow American Kevin Roose. The host of the hit New York Times podcast Rabbit Hole asks if individuality even exists anymore, or are we all just algorithm roadkill? While we’re on the subject of uniqueness, Texas-born genderqueer writer, comedian and performance artist Alok Vaid-Menon takes us Beyond the Gender Binary, asking us to stop limiting kids and embrace a world of self-expression.
British historian Joanna Burke joins forces with local heroes like activist Saxon Mullins, Walkley Award-winning investigative journalist Jess Hill, and Perth-based, South African-born writer Sisonke Msimang for the sure-to-be devastatingly powerful session World Without Rape. It asks if recent momentum-building movements can finally put a stop to the terror of sexual assault that directly impacts a staggering one in three women. The magnificent Msimang also tackles Australia’s far from impressive reckoning with the Black Lives Matter movement in keynote address Precious White Lives.
Noongar woman Claire G. Coleman, author of Australian dystopias Tera Nullius and Enclave, has the long shadow of colonial oppression in her sights in Words Are Weapons, an enlightenment that asks attendees to embrace the real story of this Country, not the myths used to perpetuate genocide against First Nations peoples. Period Queen scribe and singer-songwriter Lucy Peach also dispels untruths and helps hack the power of menstruation in her rabble-rousing session My Greatest Period Ever. And love her or loathe her, you certainly know parliament’s most forthright independent Jacqui Lambie. Slinging the two-party trashing truth bombs way before it was cool to be teal, she’s sure to share an opinion or two (and maybe even a few regrets) when she appears in On Blowing Things Up.
That’s what FODI’s all about, after all, so if you’re dead set against feeling uncomfortable, challenged or provoked, maybe stay at home. But if you’re up for slaying a few golden geese and maybe getting burned in the process, then head on down to Carriageworks for what’s sure to be a weekend that’s both incendiary and inspiring in equal measure.
Check out the full program and grab your tickets now here. Discounted multipacks are also available.
