Talks & Panels
ARTS & ACTIVISM – special guests include
9:30am – Tea/ Coffee Networking
10am – Dr John Walker: Deaf Dissidence
As a field of human geography, geographers observe how spaces can influence our behaviours and how we shape spaces around us. There is school of thought that says we are all ‘free’ to move as we wish when, in reality, our differently shaped ‘bodies’ draws us closer to specific spaces. Our sense of self is a ‘performance’ of behaviours that manifest into a cultural identity. As Deaf people, we do this frequently and differently.
As well, we are intersectional and multifaceted beings navigating between spaces where we belong and where we don’t. We all have our own journeys to a place where we can flourish; finding that sense of self, or being true to oneself, is Deaf Dissidence. A concept we need to sign (or talk) about.
11am – Ryan Commerson: Self-Activate a New World
Framing is the invisible hand of culture—it shapes what we see as possible, who we believe is valuable, and how change becomes imaginable. Artists are the architects of ideology, wielding media as both mirror and drumbeat to disrupt old narratives and activate new frames of liberation. When we take control of the frame, we don’t just tell new stories—we create new worlds.
12pm – Lunch
1pm – Visual Arts Moderator – Cathy Mager
Visual Arts Panellists – Maral Mamaghanizadeh, Christopher Sacre, Omeima Mudawi-Rowlings, and Stephen Iliffe.
2pm – Literature Moderator – Louise Stern
Literature Panellists – Sarah Marsh and Samantha Baines.
3pm – Influencers Moderator – Marios Costi (Able Sign)
Influencers Panellists – Hermon and Heroda (Being_her), Jazzy Whipps, Mysteries & Magic – (to be confirmed)
4pm – Music Moderator – Ruth Montgomery
Music Panellists – WaWa, Chris Fonseca, Rachel Edmonds.
4:45pm – Ryan sum up today’s panels.
5:15pm – Talks & Panels closed
