Spotlight conversations

Spirit of the Thylacine talk and film screening

Visitors joined us for an engaging conversation exploring the rich stories of the thylacine and its enduring significance for Australia and its First Nations peoples.

Pakana artist Vicki West from lutruwita/Tasmania and the makers of the documentary film Tiger on the Rocks, Cathryn Vasseleu and Pat Fiske, delved into these narratives in a discussion facilitated by Museum curator Martha Sear.

This enigmatic creature, whose story of extinction features in the Museum's Great Southern Land gallery, remains a powerful presence in culture and community.

This July 2024 event included a 40-minute conversation followed by a special screening of Tiger on the Rocks and an audience Q&A session.

Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse

Visitors joined us in the lead up to NAIDOC Week 2024 for a conversation with award-winning musicians Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse.

Gina and Guy use their music and performance to highlight one of the world’s most rare and beautiful languages, the Noongar language of the southern corner of Western Australia. They explored how First Nations peoples are reclaiming their stories, and the importance of language survival post-colonisation.

D’harawal man, climate advocate and former ambassador and high commissioner Gregory Andrews facilitated the conversation with Gina and Guy.

Egypt–Australian series

In early 2024, Spotlight Conversations featured Egyptian–Australians and ancient Egypt subject specialists, inspired by the Discovering Ancient Egypt exhibition.

Let's talk about ethics: Coming to terms with the past and collecting for the future

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A global dialogue is taking place around the custodianship and display of culturally sensitive materials. Artefacts from Egypt form a major part of historical collections around the world, and museums are increasingly recognising the ongoing connection that the people of Egypt have with their dispersed cultural and ancestral heritage.

This conversation in May 2024, with researchers, museum professionals and the curators of the Discovering Ancient Egypt exhibition, explored issues such as historic collecting practices, evolving approaches to interpretation and display, the ethics of archaeology and the repatriation of Egyptian material heritage.

It featured Egyptologist Dr Melanie Pitkin, bioarchaeologist Professor Ronika Power, Egyptologist and exhibition curator Dr Daniel Soliman in conversation with National Museum of Australia senior curator Craig Middleton.

Living Egypt – Exploring contemporary expressions of culture, creativity and identity

From the deep past to the present day, Egyptians have fascinated and inspired people across the globe with their art, literature, music and architecture. Ongoing cultural connections and ancient traditions continue to inform and inspire contemporary life, both within Egypt itself and across the Egyptian diaspora.

This April 2024 conversation invited visitors to consider contemporary Egyptian cultural expressions, encompassing art, film, feminism and more. It explored how the creative practices and knowledge held by performers, artists, creatives and scholars can shape and interact with modern society and identity.

Enduring Egypt

Egypt has endured since antiquity, developing into a rich and sophisticated culture influenced by different belief systems, from ancient understandings of the afterlife to the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Islamic faith.

This March 2024 conversation explored the cultural and religious traditions that have shaped Egypt’s remarkable history from the ancient past to the present.

It featured historians Dr Lisa Agaiby and Professor Malcolm Choat and Muslim theologian Associate Professor Mehmet Ozalp in conversation with National Museum of Australia curator Dr Lily Withycombe.

Why does ancient Egypt continue to fascinate us?

People have long been fascinated by ancient Egypt, a complex and intriguing society and culture which spanned more than 3,000 years and created works of art and engineering feats that still amaze us today.

This February 2024 conversation explored why, from antiquity to the present day, we are so obsessed with ancient Egypt. The panel critically examined why ancient Egypt continues to hold a place in our collective imaginations and how the fascination with this society and culture has manifested itself in Australia and around the world over centuries.

With archaeologists Shahy Radwan, Ali Ibrahim and Anna-Latifa Mourad-Cizek and Egyptologist Julia Hamilton in conversation with National Museum of Australia senior curator Craig Middleton.