References

• David Walsh: On the Origin of Art What is art – and why do we make it? David Walsh – the provocative creator of Hobart’s phenomenally successful Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) – believes that the origins, motivations and possibilities of art require fresh consideration. In an attempt to move beyond ‘cultural’ ideas of art, he is asking evolutionary biologists, social scientists and neurologists to help him curate an upcoming exhibition at Mona: one that mines the universal, emotional and – therefore, they argue, evolutionary – dimensions of creative expression. ‘Art has a cultural component of course … it is often made and judged by people, and people are cultural,’ Walsh explains. But his omission of art academics is a deliberate ploy aimed at extending the field of inquiry. So: how deep will Walsh and company go? What will they find – and how will they prove it? As Walsh joins us to question why we engage in acts of imagination that reach beyond our conscious awareness, we’ll explore what creativity means … not only for art, but for humanity itself. Hosted by Jennifer Byrne.