What do you do in your role at TACSI?
I am the lead for the National Futures Initiative. At its core, my role is about opening up possibilities to imagine together and finding practical actions we can take to make those futures a reality.
When you're not at work, what do you get up to?
Outside of work you’ll find me pruning my food forest, hanging out at the beach or sitting in front of a fire somewhere.
What change would you like to see in the world, and why?
I’d like to see us all learn from our First Nations brothers and sisters when it comes to thinking about the world relationally. We (human and non-human life) are all interconnected, and I think if we managed to see that, we would care differently and try to change more.
What were you doing before working at TACSI?
I’ve been completing a PhD in Futures Thinking, teaching classes at Australian National University (ANU) and University of Technology Sydney (UTS), and running a project called Museum of Futures – an interactive exhibition that looks at the role we all play in creating different futures. I also write and present ‘future histories’ for various organisations, which are well-researched stories exploring possible futures. I also work with the film and TV industry to explore how we tell stories on our screens that will lead to more just futures.
Who inspires you, and why?
I find a lot of the people at TACSI inspiring! I also love reading Naomi Klein, Tyson Yunkaporta and Robin Wall-Kimmerer (among so many others). Mostly, though, I am inspired not by “who” but by nature. I am especially inspired by plants that have managed to grow against the odds in cities (often sprouting up in the cracks of the pavement) and animals that have somehow made a home among us humans.
Looking back at your career, what’s been the highlight?
In 2023, I held an exhibition with the Museum of Futures at NSW Parliament. It ended up being a retrospective of three previous exhibitions, including one I had taken to America. Talking to the MPs at Parliament House about the futures that communities had come up with felt like maybe we shifted something. It also made One Nation MP Mark Latham so angry that he stole some of the objects, and badmouthed us to the press – an extra highlight!
What are you reading/watching/listening to at the moment?
I am listening to Empire of AI by Karen Hao. Her take is that the AI platforms are aiming for digital colonisation – super interesting and slightly terrifying.
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you 'grew up'?
I wanted to be a palaeontologist. Working in futures now, it feels like I went the opposite direction, but I think my childhood self would be pleased.
What's a book, film or resource that you would recommend to someone interested in social impact?
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. It’s a wonderful book that lays out how we can be in relation to nature. Kimmerer is a powerful writer, combining personal narrative with botany and systems thinking.
What's something on your bucket list?
I’d like to turn my PhD into an easy to read book.