Are you interested in art, activism and culture? Wondering how National Cultural Policy is going to affect your work? This event is for you. 

The Bodies of Work – a symposium is a three-day event that will explore the issues, celebrate radical histories, and imagine a better future by bringing together a wealth of knowledge from academics, artists, and policy experts through talks and discussion, activist training and art.

Held at the Workers Hall in Yartapuulti/Port Adelaide on November 1 – 3, Bodies of Work will highlight labour rights for artists and cultural democracy for workers. 

Waterside Workers Hall has long been a hub for both cultural events and labour organising in Yartapuulti/Port Adelaide, and this event is continuing that legacy. 

Bodies of Work will dissect how Waterside Workers Hall’s traditions are being kept alive, the place for art in the struggle for a better world, the working lives of artists, and the implications of the new National Cultural Policy on artists.

Speakers will explore the place of art and culture in everyday life and as a force for radical change. 

Talks will cover cultural policy, the challenges of AI, the Hollywood strikes and the history of artists working with unions here in Australia, including the famous ‘Art and Working Life’ initiative of the 1980s. 

There’s a chance to hear from South Australia’s Arts Minister, the Hon. Andrea Michaels MP, in a special Arts Industry Council of South Australia event and space for collaboration, solidarity, and imagining a better future. 

Talks will be accompanied by two darkly funny and smart performance lectures from Catherine Ryan – an artist from Wurundjeri Country/Melbourne who explores the pressure to be productive under capitalism using subversive pop song samples and low-brow musical interludes. 

Presented by Vitalstatistix, this event is part of the ongoing Bodies of Work initiative in collaboration with South Australian policy provocateurs Reset Arts and Culture. 

The Bodies of Work symposium promises to be an inspiring, community-building event open to anyone interested in art, activism, history, culture, and democracy. 

What: BODIES OF WORK – a symposium 

When: NOVEMBER 1 – 3, 10 am – 7:30 pm daily

Where: Waterside Workers Hall, 11 Nile St, Port Adelaide, Yartapuulti 

How Much? This event is free/by donation. 

Bookings are essential so don’t miss out!