Principal speaker
Associate Professor Peter O'Connor
When we consider our world today we might believe that hope and hopefulness is in short supply. In the bleak aftermath of the Christchurch earthquakes many children, their teachers and their families found a pathway to resilience in the work of the Creative Response in Schools project which aimed to assist in the rebuilding of Christchurch through applied arts in schools.
Peter O'Connor, leader of the project, 'A teaspoon of light', argues that the arts provide a means of creating hopeful citizens, and of making sense of the troubled times we inhabit. He draws on some of his most recent research and practice to consider the interrelationship between the imagination, hope and resilience.
In this presentation he discusses projects taking place in the aftermath of natural disasters, such as the Christchurch earthquake, and maps out how the arts can help individuals and communities reconnect to the positive in their lives, and to see the potential for hope in the future.
Associate Professor Peter O'Connor is the Director of the Critical Research Unit in Applied Theatre at the University of Auckland. He has spent more than thirty years creating and researching theatre in prisons, psychiatric institutions, natural disaster zones, and schools. His most recent work includes a UNESCO funded project in Christchurch schools, working with teachers and students to help young people's transition back into classrooms following the Canterbury earthquakes.
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RSVP
RSVP on or before Monday 7 October 2013 , by email s.normoyle@griffith.edu.au , or by phone 3735 5748
Event contact details
- Samantha Normoyle
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- 3735 5748