Totally Lit: Quantum Words Fremantle
Dates
Saturday 4 October | 9.30am - 4.45pm
General Admission | $45 + booking fee for full program. Use links below for individual session tickets
Ages
Adults
Site access information
WA Maritime Museum is mostly accessible, excluding tours aboard the HMAS Ovens. Call 1300 134 081 for assistance. More about accessibility and amenities >
A one-day program of conversations about the ways in which we come to understand ourselves, our world and the expansive universe we live within.
Dedicated to science, creativity and wonder, Quantum Words is a one-day program of conversations about the ways in which we come to understand ourselves, our world and the expansive universe we live within.
Curated by Jane McCredie, founder of the Quantum Words festival, our program will delve into everything from what drives us to believe what we believe, to how we can address coastal erosion, our search for identity, our fascination with sea monsters and more.
Note:
- See below for individual session details.
- Use the Book with presenter link on this page to secure a package ticket for the entire program (and save up to $15.00) or choose single sessions by clicking individual session booking links below.
Session 1: 9.30-10.30am | THE SEARCH FOR OURSELVES
SESSION 1 TICKETS
With writer and scientist Nikos Athanasou, and science writer Jane McCredie.
Can it be true that one of the three most popular searches on the internet is ‘family history’ (along with ‘shopping’ and ‘porn’)? Why are so many of us interested in our antecedents; why do we do DNA tests and what kinds of meaning are we looking for when we seek out and tell these stories? Our panel considers the cultural, biological and psychological drivers of the quest to know where we come from.
Session 2: 10.45-11.45am | COAST TO COAST
SESSION 2 TICKETS
With Kharishar Kahfi and Dr Thor Kerr.
As the planet warms and sea levels rise, islands are being consumed by the sea, and homes and landmarks are being washed away. Our international panel considers what can be done to address the increasing threats to coastlines from climate change and other environmental damage.
Session 3: 12.00-1.00pm | MONTEBELLO – ‘nothing left to chance’
SESSION 3 TICKETS
With Paul Grace, Hon Josh Wilson MP, Patrick Morrison and Gillian O’Shaughnessy.
The first British nuclear test was conducted in 1952 in WA’s Montebello Islands by British and Australian ships operating out of Fremantle. More than 70 years later research reveals the ongoing environmental impacts of this test. Our panel consider the history, the science, and Fremantle’s longstanding position as a ‘nuclear-free zone’.
Session 4: 1.15-2.15pm | THE SCIENCE OF BELIEF
SESSION 4 TICKETS
With Helen Milroy, Robert Edeson, Kharishar Kahfi, and Jane McCredie.
What does it mean to believe in something? Our beliefs often define us, but we don’t always understand where they come from or why we hold to them so tightly. In the era of fake news and AI manipulations, our speakers examine the murky territory between fact and belief and its implications for future societies.
Session 5: 2.30-3.30pm | SEA MONSTERS; truths and fictions
SESSION 5 TICKETS
With Prema Arasu and Caitlin Maling.
How much do we really know about deep sea life and how much might we have imagined? From the Greek Islands to the Perth Canyon, this session will consider how land-dwellers across the globe have developed the science and found the language to describe the alien communities that live beneath the ocean’s surface.
Session 6: 3.45-4.45pm | UNDER THE STARS
SESSION 6 TICKETS
With Mike Lefroy and Paul Smith.
For millennia, humans navigated land and seas by looking at the stars. Writers and scientists explore how our reliance on the night sky formed cultures and stories, and what it might mean if we stop looking up.
Presented in association with WA Maritime Museum and with support from the UWA Institute of Advanced Studies and Lotterywest.
With thanks to Writing NSW for permission to use the Quantum Words brand.
