Get in the mood for the Ideas Festival with our series of pre-Festival events. Events currently open for your bookings:
Sustainable Supper
Special screening: The Economics of Happiness
Harnessing Heat: The future of geothermal energy in Australia
Sunday afternoon film series
Living Doll workshop series

Deepen the Conversation – Sustainable Supper
6pm Wed 6 April | slq Auditorium 1, level 2, State Library of Queensland | Free, bookings required*

Moving into the next decade, Australia faces the serious issue of food security. Whether it be drought and climate change affecting production, the export of crops to impoverished countries, or foreign investors buying our valuable land, it is impossible to exactly match local food production with regional demand. Australians no longer have the assurance that their produce will be fresh, local and reasonably priced.

Proposed solutions range from genetic engineering and food innovations, to vertical farming and urban fringe farms. So what is the best way to ensure our families are fed, economy kept strong and quality of life maintained? How urgently do we need an answer and how are we preparing the next generation to deal with these issues?

Join Geoff Wilson, President of the Green Infrastructure Network Australia and Director (Australia) of the World Green Infrastructure Network, with permaculture gardener Tim Lang in conversation with Professor Geoff Lawrence from the Global Change Institute, as they tackle the issue of food security on a global basis, and explore the prospect of fresher and healthier urban food in Brisbane.

*Bookings qtix.com.au 136 246 or The Library Shop

Deepen the Conversation – Harnessing Heat: The future of geothermal energy in Australia
6pm Wed 4 May | slq Auditorium 1, level 2, State Library of Queensland | Free, bookings required*

Energy is, and will always be, the largest business on Earth. This industry is constantly undergoing major changes as the world deals with climate change, pollution and the need for renewable energy.

According to Director of the Queensland Geothermal Energy Centre of Excellence, Professor Hal Gurgenci, Geothermal energy is Australia’s answer: “Geothermal energy is an important clean energy source for the future of Australia which will enable us to generate base load electricity – the minimum amount required to meet demand – without burning fossil fuels or using nuclear reactors.”

Australia has unique advantages in its continental crust in developing large scale enhanced geothermal systems to replace coal-fire electricity. So how is this energy harnessed, what are its limitations, and what will it cost us, both environmentally and economically?

Join Michael Duggan in conversation with Professor Hal Gurgenci and Geodynamics’ Chief Scientist Dr Doone Wyborn, as they discuss how geothermal energy works, how it affects our daily living, its advantages over other sources of energy, and the future of geothermal energy in Australia.

*Bookings qtix.com.au 136 246 or The Library Shop

Sunday afternoon film series
2pm every Sunday beginning 3 April  |  slq Auditorium 2, level 2, State Library of Queensland  |  Free, no bookings required
Have a little fun with the themes of the Festival , explored through the world of film. Each Sunday afternoon the State Library of Queensland is hosting a free film screening. April is comedy month, drawing on the theme of happiness and in May we dive into the world of sustainability, with a little ‘zombie’ on the side.  We are looking for local short films to screen prior to each session, so if you have a finished piece between 5-10 minutes that fits with the program for either month, let us know! Email info@ideasfestival.com.au to start the conversation.
3 April – Tim Minchin: Ready for this
10 April – Joan Rivers: A piece of work
17 April – Dave Chappelle’s Block Party
24 April – Bill Hicks: American
1 May – An Inconvenient Truth
8 May – Oyster Farmer
15 May – 28 Days Later

Living Doll workshop series
Sat 14, 21 and 28 May (three day class) | The Edge | Tickets $70*
Bring to life your own curious characters, pieced together from textiles and electronics in this workshop hosted by Lumia: art/light/motion artists, Priscilla Bracks and Gavin Sade. These two designers from art collective, kuuki, will share their expertise in new media and interaction design over the course of the three workshop sessions. Explore contemporary life and encourage thought about the future through the combination of art and technology, resulting in strange but intriguing objects. Ideal for ages 15-25.
*Bookings through The Edge or www.edgeqld.org.au