Livestreaming from the Sydney Opera House on September 5th, Antidote 2021 promises an exciting and inspiring line-up of speakers for its fifth celebration of ideas, action, and change.
Speakers including Elizabeth Kolbert, Benjamin Law, Ronnie Gorrie, Bri Lee, Rick Morton, Cathy Park Hong, and Scott Ludlam will cover a wide range of topics, from climate change, colonialism, and capitalism, to Deaf culture, racism, and morality in Australian politics.
Here’s a sneak peek at what’s to come!
The 2021 edition of Antidote marks Sydney Opera House’s Edwina Throsby‘s final stint as festival curator, before she moves onto a new role as Managing Director of Arts at the ABC. Throsby says:
“Once again, we find ourselves in challenging times. Particularly for those of us back in a holding pattern of physical distance and social isolation, doom scrolling, home schooling and fixating on daily case numbers. It’s hard to find optimism when it feels like we’ve gone backwards
But, there has never been a more important time to focus on the future. Pausing to reflect on hopeful solutions to big issues impacting our world can provide much-needed mental and emotional respite. Exercising the mind by engaging with leading thinkers and creatives to imagine alternative futures offers a remedy for challenging periods of uncertainty, fear and burnout.
At Antidote, audiences are invited to join conversations about how we can improve our world, together.”
At this stage, Antidote will be an online only event, with festival-goers able to opt for either a full day pass or pay for the individual panels they wish to view. A waitlist for potential in-person events is also available, in case restrictions change ahead of September 5th.
For the first time, Antidote have also announced an emerging writers mentorship. Offered in conjunction with Sydney literacy movement Sweatshop, the new program is aimed at First Nations writers and those coming from a culturally and linguistically diverse background.
The two successful applicants will receive $1,000, an Antidote festival pass, three rounds of feedback on their Antidote-inspired project, and up to 25 hours of mentorship from Sweatshop. More information can be found HERE.
To find out more, including the full line-up and ticketing information, check out the Antidote website HERE.
