MRelay—Part 4: 'Narrate' • Sat 4 Feb 2017

Narrate rounded out the final leg of MRelay 2016/17. Storytelling is a tool for knowledge generation and cultural transmission. The telling of one’s personal journey can be used to share cultural history and create social cohesion. This session provided a speaker’s corner for the city, a platform for ideas to be heard and stories to be told. It was opportunity to hear from ethnically and culturally diverse voices, ages and genders. Here we investigated digital storytelling, personal and architectural narratives. Our questions were: How can new technologies encode narrative, strengthen identity and build community? With the rise of artificial intelligence, we explore what it means to be human. Narrate was hosted by Karen McCartney, writer and editor extraordinaire. Speakers included Aric Chen, curator of art and design at M+; Sam Cooney, publisher of The Lifted Brow; Jill Garner, Victorian Government Architect; Candy Bowers, actress, social activist; Adele Varcoe, producer and fashion designer; Kenny Pittock, Melbourne-based visual artist; and Lucy Adams, manager of homeless law at Justice Connect.