This is no longer a drill.

Every year since 2016 Arts House has brought together artists, experts and emergency services to explore the biggest climate What Ifs? of our time.

Now the unimaginable is our daily reality, and we know a few people who saw it coming.

From practical survival skills to tips from pandemic and medical experts to new writing and people on the front line, this three part series takes you beyond the headlines and into the worlds (and living rooms) of those who know what counts most in a time of crisis.

Hosted by antidisciplinary artist and Refuge alumni Lee Shang Lun, each instalment of the Refuge Talks Series will feature a different panel of guests plus performances of new work, live music and domestic rewilding demos from artists’ homes to yours.

This is not the new normal.
There was never a normal to begin with.
But let’s choose what our future looks like together.

Preparing for a Pandemic

Thu 21 May, Midday AEST
Episode one dives into the minds of thinkers who knew this was coming. From the insights gleaned during the fictional pandemic of Refuge 2018 to the fascinating things disease and medical experts get up to behind closed doors…read more.

Living in a Pandemic

Thu 28 May, Midday AEST
This is how we live now. The second episode brings together artists and experts to explore the ways we can connect when isolation forces us apart…read more.

Recovering from a Pandemic

Thu 4 June, Midday AEST
In the final episode we face forward. From seismic shifts in government and communities to the relief of finally hugging a friend, there will come a time when we blink and adjust our eyes to the new world around us and sweat amongst many on dance floors… read more.

Thu 21 May will commence with a live Wurundjeri Welcome to Country.

“Refuge 2019: Displacement… is no passive ‘arts’ show. It calls on all of us to be active, thinking participants in a multi-faceted discussion about some of the hardest challenges that Australia and the world face, and to imagine some of the solutions we might employ to overcome them.”
Read the full ★★★★ review on Arts Hub here

Accessibility:

All sessions will be live captioned and Auslan interpreted.

This series will be recorded for re-stream with open captions.

Supported by – the Refuge Talks Series is supported by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts and funding and advisory body, Emergency Management Victoria, State Emergency Services, Resilient Melbourne, University of Melbourne, Red Cross Australia, The Peter Doherty Centre and The City of Melbourne through Arts House.

Image –  Ready, Steady, Go (detail) by Jen Rae and Emma Byrnes (2020)

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