Semi Permanent Sydney 2021

Following an immensely transformative year, Semi Permanent returns to its Sydney home for our leading festival of business, design and creativity. Curated around the theme ‘BRIDGES’, the redesigned multi-day event seeks to assess this new reality we find ourselves in, putting you at the centre of whatever comes next.

The Semi Permanent experience has always been held in response to an ever-changing creative world; in 2021 that remains more true than ever. Following a year of research and consultation, this year's festival has been redesigned from the ground up to bring you deeper into the conversation and reflect the multitude of perspectives across business, design and creativity today. This approach to curation, programming and participation—adapted for the requirements of a rapidly changing world—places less focus on one-way storytelling and greater emphasis on interactive workshops, community engagement, networking opportunities and a continuous blurring of the lines between what's happening on-stage, back-stage, off-site and on-screen. Programming and ticket types are detailed below, with more announcements to come. See you in August.

Highlights

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Reg Mombassa Schedule Pic
Singapore Art Book Fair
1000 colours
BTWNLNS Hotel Room
The person next to you image - Sydney festival 2021

Speakers & Artists

Schedule

  • Aug 12

    • 9:00 AM

      Talk ∙ 15 min

      Opening Address + Welcome to Country

    • 9:15 AM

      Talk ∙ 30 min

      Joel Pearson - Future Minds Lab

      Joel Pearson is motivated by the possibilities of scientific thinking to help us address our present and shape our future, and in this session, the Future Minds Lab founder and director will teach how we can make the impossible possible through discovery.

    • 10:00 AM

      Panel ∙ 2 hours

      Future State

      Gain insights from the leaders of world-changing companies.

    • 1:00 PM

      Talk ∙ 30 min

      Mikaela Jade - Indigital

      Founder and CEO Mikaela Jade tells an inspiring story of her singular mission to merge thousands of years of storytelling with the visionary technology of tomorrow.

    • 1:30 PM

      Talk ∙ 45 min

      Seb Chan - ACMI

      ACMI’s Chief Experience Officer Seb Chan is interested in the way a physical experience can harmoniously exist with a digital one, as told through the lens of a museum celebrating screen culture. 

    • 2:15 PM

      Talk ∙ 30 min

      Gemma Rees & Keenan Motto - Fabric

      Connecting brands with audiences through powerful storytelling and visual imagery, Gemma Rees and Keenan Motta discuss the strategy behind their work for David Jones, Woolmark and Amazon.

    • 5:00 PM

      Talk ∙ 25 min

      Jazlyn Fung & Tony Wong

      Jazlyn Fung and Tony Wong are immensely, intensely, obsessively interested in typography design and graphic communication. They could talk about it for days. We don’t have that long, but they’ll do their best.

    • 5:25 PM

      Talk ∙ 25 min

      Rory Gardiner

      Ranked as one of the 100 most inspiring architecture photographers in the world, Rory Gardiner returns home to Australia to share the secrets behind his exacting lens. 

    • 5:50 PM

      Talk ∙ 25 min

      Mark Campbell - HarperCollins ANZ

      Mark Campbell is creative director at HarperCollins, where he runs the award-winning design studio and publishes his own list, Harper by Design. He's passionate and engaged about addressing diversity and inclusion within the publishing industry.

    • 6:15 PM

      Talk ∙ 45 min

      Dollhouse Pictures

      Gracie Otto, Jessica Carrera and Krew Boylan of female-led creative collective Dollhouse Pictures come together to discuss pushing the boundaries of film, TV and theatre. 

    • All day

      Experience

      BTWNLNS Pop Up

      BTWNLNS will bring to life its objective of connecting people, places and objects with a pop up at Semi Permanent Sydney

    • All day

      Experience

      Clemens Habicht: Interactive Artwork

      Habicht returns home to Australia and will create a large-scale, site-specific, experiential artwork exclusive to the event and to our venue, bringing a level of unique interactivity to Carriageworks across the three days of the festival. 

    • All day

      Experience

      Singapore Art Book Fair: Capsule Edition

      Semi Permanent is your opportunity to reconnect with the global art and design world as we bring the best of Southeast Asian publishing to the festival.

  • Aug 13

    • 9:15 AM

      Talk ∙ 30 min

      Sam Elsom - Sea Forest

      This former sustainable fashion designer is fighting climate change through his new organisation, Sea Forest, and he’s here to share the incredible power of seaweed. 

    • 1:15 PM

      Talk ∙ 30 min

      Hannah Tribe

      One of the most recognised architects working in Australia today delves into how our spaces impact and shape the way we live, work and spend our lives. 

    • 2:30 PM

      Talk ∙ 30 min

      Mark Gowing - Formist

      A master of visual literacy, Formist’s founder and director, and AGI member, Mark Gowing joins Semi Permanent to launch two new publications. 

    • 3:00 PM

      Talk ∙ 45 min

      Rosina di Maria - Woods Bagot

      Woods Bagot principal Rosina di Maria will be joined by a panel of artists and creative leaders to discuss the responsibility of cultural institutions in preservation, presentation and promotion. 

    • 4:00 PM

      Talk ∙ 30 min

      Del Kathryn Barton, Huna Amweero & Sam Jennings

      Ahead of the release of her first feature film Blaze, starring Simon Baker and Yael Stone, artist and filmmaker Del Kathryn Barton is joined by her collaborators, writer Huna Amweero and producer Sam Jennings, to discuss the creative process.

    • 5:30 PM

      Talk ∙ 45 min

      Reg Mombassa

      Unpacking a lifetime of iconic achievements with New Zealand-born Australian musician and artist Christopher O’Doherty (aka Reg Mombassa) of Mental as Anything and Mambo fame. 

    • All day

      Experience

      BTWNLNS Pop Up

      BTWNLNS will bring to life its objective of connecting people, places and objects with a pop up at Semi Permanent Sydney

    • All day

      Experience

      Clemens Habicht: Interactive Artwork

      Habicht returns home to Australia and will create a large-scale, site-specific, experiential artwork exclusive to the event and to our venue, bringing a level of unique interactivity to Carriageworks across the three days of the festival. 

    • All day

      Experience

      Singapore Art Book Fair: Capsule Edition

      Semi Permanent is your opportunity to reconnect with the global art and design world as we bring the best of Southeast Asian publishing to the festival.

  • Aug 14

    • 12:00 PM

      Talk ∙ 30 min

      Peter Drew

      You’ve no doubt seen his arresting street posters (his ‘Aussie’ series featuring folk hero Monga Khan is most known), but at Semi Permanent we’ll bring to the stage the mysterious artist behind them: Peter Drew. 

    • 12:30 PM

      Talk ∙ 30 min

      Frances Cannon

      In an Australian debut, the Melbourne-based artist, illustrator and advocate offers a glimpse into their highly expressive visual world. 

    • 1:00 PM

      Talk ∙ 30 min

      Gemma Mahoney

      From her independent studio, Gemma Mahoney produces some of the most innovative creative branding, and at Semi Permanent, she’ll share her expressive, thoughtful approach to graphic design. 

    • 4:00 PM

      Talk ∙ 45 min

      Ta-ku

      A rare insight into the multidisciplinary practice of the acclaimed recording artist, photographer and creative director.. 

    • All day

      Experience

      BTWNLNS Pop Up

      BTWNLNS will bring to life its objective of connecting people, places and objects with a pop up at Semi Permanent Sydney

    • All day

      Experience

      Clemens Habicht: Interactive Artwork

      Habicht returns home to Australia and will create a large-scale, site-specific, experiential artwork exclusive to the event and to our venue, bringing a level of unique interactivity to Carriageworks across the three days of the festival. 

    • All day

      Experience

      Singapore Art Book Fair: Capsule Edition

      Semi Permanent is your opportunity to reconnect with the global art and design world as we bring the best of Southeast Asian publishing to the festival.

Tickets

12 — August 14, 2021
Carriageworks

Premium Experience

Elevate your festival experience with a Premium ticket or upgrade for the first time ever to a Platinum pass, unlocking exclusive access to keynote talent, hospitality and bespoke side-events for the ultimate Semi Permanent experience.
Includes:
  • Event access Thursday to Saturday
  • Premium Lounge access and allocated seating
  • Food, refreshments & exclusive hospitality invitations
  • Professional networking and VIP events
  • Accomodation at Paramount House Hotel and travel concierge (Platinum Ticket only)
  • Semi Permanent Gift Pack (RRP $500+)

Festival Experience

Join us for the full three-day experience, or just part of one. This year, we've expanded our ticket offering to include half day, full day or multi-day passes, giving you the opportunity to curate your own festival program or buy a multi-day ticket and come along for the ride.
Includes:
  • Event access—options include Morning Session, Afternoon Session, One Day or Three Day Pass.

Group and Corporate Sales

Semi Permanent is an industry-recognised event, attended by people working in the fields of design, advertising, media, marketing, technology, entertainment, government and more. If you would like to purchase multiple tickets for your team, get in touch and we'll look after you direct.
Includes:
  • Group discounts
  • Event access

Information

  • Carriageworks is the largest multi-arts centre in Australia, with a year-round program that is ambitious, radical and inclusive.
    Semi Permanent operates on the land of Gadigal people of the Eora nation, the traditional custodians of this land. We pay respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders past, present, and emerging.

Partners

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