Arts in a time of global crisis

THE latest Politics of Life: This Stuff Matters event, to be held at the M|Arts Precinct on August 21, will highlight the crucial role the creative arts plays in calling out social injustice.

In ‘Not Just Playing Around: The serious role of creative arts in times of crisis’, cultural historian Professor Julian Meyrick and musician, choir leader and Byron Bay councillor Janet Swain will discuss the power of the arts in the wake of the climate emergency, global wars, economic upheaval and the rise of authoritarianism.

Presenter Dr Richard Hil said the visual, performing and literary arts had long served as essential bridges across human experience.

“They transcend borders, defy political divides and endure long after battles are won and rivalries fade,” he said.

“After witnessing the unfathomable horrors of Nazi rule, German philosopher Theodor Adorno famously declared, ‘There can be no poetry after Auschwitz’, and for him, the scale of the death camp atrocities demanded the stark clarity of factual prose.”

Hil said the arts remind us of our human ingenuity and shared humanity and can help shed light on what may appear absurd, meaningless and self-destructive.

“While some may dismiss the arts as indulgence, the expressive forms mirror the world and reflect a hunger for understanding, justice and transformation,” he said.

“Anyone who has lost themselves in a choir’s harmony or been moved by a powerful play, novel or painting knows the electric magic of creative imagination and storytelling.

“Even in the darkest hours, creativity can give voice to our deepest longings.”

The Politics of Life event begins with a choir performance at 6.45pm, with the conversation starting at 7pm, followed by a Q&A.

For tickets, visit trybooking.com/DEBYG