Kate Scardifield with Distinguished Professor Peter Ralph, Dr Beth Mott, Janet Laurence, Jedda Lemmon, Michael Andrews and Mick Delmenico
Join us for a quick-fire program of pithy talks, stories and presentations from leading scientists, artists and First Nations knowledge holders, as we present ‘weather reports’ from this time and place. These events will later be uploaded to the online World Weather Network for those who miss out on the day.
Kate Scardifield has a research-driven and experimental practice traversing textiles, sculpture, installation and video. Her current projects are investigating bio-based materials for carbon capture and storage, and working with textiles as propositional instruments for navigation, transmission, and communication. Scardifield is a Senior Lecturer and Co-Director of the Material Ecologies Design Lab at the University of Technology Sydney.
Scardifield will be speaking with Distinguished Professor Peter Ralph, an internationally respected academic and research leader in the fields of algal biotechnology. He works with a wide range of start-ups, SMEs, not-for-profits, NGOs, and multi-nations to deliver a sustainable circular bioeconomy.
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Dr Beth Mott is an ecologist and Threatened Species Officer currently working for the Saving Our Species Program of NSW Government. Dr Mott works on forest recovery and habitat building for endangered rainforests and loves to find ways in which nature and human endeavours can enmesh, to create excellent results for biodiversity as a whole.
Dr Mott will speak on the importance of the dynamic interface between urban and bushland areas and how we can protect this to invite threatened birds like Glossy Black-Cockatoos and Powerful Owls to live amongst us.
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Janet Laurence’s work occupies the liminal zones or meeting places of art, science, imagination and memory. Profoundly aware of the interconnection of all life forms, Laurence often produces work in response to specific sites or environments using a diverse range of materials. Alchemical transformation, history and perception are underlying themes in her exhibition work.
Laurence will discuss meteorological research conducted in Antarctica, where the traditional and multifaceted observations of weather are communicated to the whole planet.
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Jedda Lemmon is a flora ecologist with diverse experience in threatened species conservation, flora survey and monitoring, vegetation classification and mapping, and restoration. She is passionate about learning directly from field observations and will share how observing a species response to some recent extreme weather events can extend our knowledge and capacity to better understand and manage threatened plants.
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Michael Andrews, Bundanon’s Natural Resources Manager, will discuss Bundanon’s Landcare initiatives to increase biodiversity, capture carbon and reconnect native habitat on the Shoalhaven River. This work, particularly unique for a cultural organisation, demonstrates the leadership role the arts can play in foregrounding the importance of protecting the environment for future generations.
Mick Delmenico has been managing bushland landscapes for over two decades. As Landcare Australia’s NSW Environment Project Officer, he has been responsible for the planning, implementation and management of extensive revegetation projects across the state. His work at Bundanon over the past decade has overseen the establishment and maintenance of over 70 hectares of forest.
Image: Bundanon Carbon Farm. Photo: John Janson-Moore