Talks on The Rocks
See your city in a new light with free Friday lunchtime talks at The Rocks Discovery Museum.
Eminent speakers from a diverse range of arts and cultural fields will inspire, enliven and challenge your thinking.
Friday 5 February - Dion Pieta
Celebrate Waitangi Day in The Rocks-home of the famous Whalers Arms and Maori Lane where whalers from New Zealand first brought Maori culture to Australia.
Dion Peita, collections coordinator at the Australian Museum, talks about the significance of Maori archaeological finds in The Rocks, including the Maori pounamu (greenstone) earring/pendant recovered from The Rocks' Cumberland Street dig site in 1994. A ceremony was performed to lift the tapu before the object was eventually put on display in The Rocks Discovery Museum.
As collections coordinator, Dion is charged with managing and coordinating more than 110,000 objects, including material from Indigenous Australia, the Pacific, America, Asia and Africa. Dion is a direct descendant of the Tainui and Te Rarawa tribal confederations in Aotearoa, New Zealand and has spent the greater part of his working career at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. The museum is renowned for its bicultural policy which attempts to address perspectives of both tangata whenua (indigenous New Zealanders) and tangata tiriti (non-indigenous New Zealanders) by introducing traditional knowledge concepts into contemporary expression.
Friday 12 February - Philippe Tot
Horticulturalist and penjing (Chinese bonsai) expert Philippe Tot talks about the history and traditions of the Chinese Garden of Friendship in Darling Harbour. You can even bring in your bonsai plant to receive expert advice and tips!
The art of Chinese garden design began in imperial parks during the Zhang dynasty 3,000 years ago. Later they flourished on a smaller scale in the private gardens of China's rich
and powerful. The Chinese Garden of Friendship is a scaled-down version of a typical private garden from this era.
Philippe Tot is the penjing caretaker at the Chinese Garden of Friendship and the founder of The Lingnan Penjing Academy of Australia. He has studied under Al Yee Jauco in Sydney and the late Sifu Kevin Lee Wu in Hong Kong. He is also writing several volumes on Chinese thought and various teachings, and travels back and forth to China regularly. Over the years he has held many talks, conferences and award-winning exhibitions both in Sydney and abroad, teaching students about Lingnan Penjing, Chinese Gardens and their philosophies.
Friday 19 February - Lily Shearer
Indigenous Community Theatre Maker Lily Shearer talks about the cultural diversity of Indigenous nations.
Lily is a Muruwaroi (north-west NSW/south-east QLD) woman and has been a custodian of Darug (Sydney basin) lands since 1988. She has more than 25 years experience in Indigenous heritage and culture, youth/welfare work and community cultural development. Lily was the female artistic director and founding member of Bundahbunna Miyumba Indigenous Australian Heritage and Culture Experience. The experience promoted the
cultural diversity of Indigenous nations, encouraged Indigenous youth participants and carried the spirit of reconciliation through a variety of hands-on activities.
Friday 26 February - Dr Lisa Murray
Dr Lisa Murray, City of Sydney historian, talks about the influence of cultural trade and migration
in
The Rocks.
In the early years of colonial settlement, Sydney was the cosmopolitan hub of the South Pacific with French explorers, Russian whalers, and traders coming from China, India and the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) all helping to shape our city.
Dr Lisa Murray has been a historian at the Council of the City of Sydney since 2001 and is currently
the Acting City Historian and Chair of the Dictionary of Sydney. Her research interests include Sydney's urban, cultural and social history; and cultural landscapes, memory and heritage. Recent publications include the award-winning book The Capitol Theatre Restoration and Musical Chairs: The Quest for a City Recital Hall. Her current research project for the council is a social history of the southern-city industrial areas of Redfern, Waterloo and Alexandria. The book is due for publication in late 2010.
View information on previous speakers at Talks on The Rocks
12 noon Friday, free
The Rocks Discovery Museum
Kendall Lane (enter via Argyle St), The Rocks
Bookings recommended (02) 9240 8680
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