Sci Art Walks

In partnership with Tasmania's Mona Foma festival, an audio episode to be paired with artist Tim Coad's installation in Knocklofty Reserve, Hobart, 22-24 January 2021. Hear a special introduction in which Tim discusses his artwork, followed by a talk about Aboriginal fire culture by Andry Sculthorpe and Billy Paton-Clarke, with music by Emily Wurramara. Many Australians view fire as a destructive force, but there’s more than one type of fire. Aboriginal people have been burning this country for centuries, helping to encourage native vegetation, improve food availability for humans and animals, and restoring balance in the ecosystem. Knocklofty Reserve was a very different environment not so long ago, but when we look out at the vegetation there today, we rarely see what’s been lost and what’s misplaced. Reigniting Aboriginal fire culture in Tasmania is a crucial step towards restoring our connection to country and our ability to understand and respect our fragile habitats.The suggested walking location for this episode is Knocklofty Reserve, Hobart, Tasmania.Learn more at www.sciartwalks.com.au 

In partnership with Tasmania's Mona Foma festival, a talk by Professor Barbara Holland with a special introduction by Mona Foma curator and Violent Femmes bass guitarist Brian Ritchie, who composed the music for the episode. The field of phylogenetics describes how all living things are related, and can be traced back to a common ancestor (one of Darwin’s key insights). As you wander through the ancient geological formation of Launceston’s Cataract Gorge, a reflection on using mathematical tools to understand evolution, species diversity, and what ties us all together.The suggested walking location for this episode is Cataract Gorge, Launceston, Tasmania.Learn more at www.sciartwalks.com.au 

A talk by First Dog on the Moon, with music by Emily Sheppard.A joyful meditation on the end of the world, taking refuge in Tasmania’s secluded and stunning environments, and drinking good whisky along the journey. Emerging at South Cape Bay, one of the most southern points in the inhabited world, take a moment to gaze out at the great nothingness before you. Perhaps this is where humanity ends and nature takes over.The suggested walking location for this episode is Cockle Creek to South Cape Bay Walk, Tasmania. Learn more at www.sciartwalks.com.au

A talk by Christine Milne, Bob Brown, Distinguished Professor Jamie Kirkpatrick, Tabatha Badger, and Todd Dudley, with music by Julius Schwing and Tilly Martin.When Tasmania’s iconic Lake Pedder was flooded in 1972 to create a reservoir in the service of hydroelectric power, a unique wilderness was drowned, and now lies 15 metres beneath the surface, dormant but apparently intact. What would it take to reverse the course of history, drain the impoundment, and restore the flooded lake to its original glory? Is such a goal even ecologically possible? Meander through Tasmania’s Southwest National Park while contemplating the effort to undo our past actions and rewild our world.The suggested walking location for this episode is Lake Pedder, Southwest National Park, Tasmania. Learn more at www.sciartwalks.com.au

A talk by Dr Cathy Byrne and Dr Simon Grove, with music by Warren Mason and Ben Salter. When you go for a walk in the bush, you enter the realm of small species. Insects abound in our natural world, but many of us rarely take the time to look for them or wonder about their stories. Whether you make it 100 metres out of the Remarkable Cave car park, or all the way to Crescent Bay, here’s a chance to tune into the incredible diversity and intrigue of the insect world. Full of scandal, sex, murder, and mystery, you’ll never look at a clump of leaves or rotting tree bark the same way again. The suggested walking location for this episode is Remarkable Cave to Crescent Bay, Tasman Peninsula, Tasmania.Learn more at www.sciartwalks.com.au 

A talk by Dr Jennifer Lavers, wih music by Maggie Abraham The small, brown, humble-looking mutton bird may not seem so exquisite upon first glance (or first sniff), but their modest appearance belies their incredible story. From throwing themselves off a cliff for their first flight and not returning to land for five years, to flying round-trip to Antarctica every few days to fish for their growing chicks, these birds are true Tasmanian superheroes. Walking along the Nut, with evidence of mutton birds everywhere around you, spare a moment to appreciate their splendour and to listen to the warning they have for all of us.The suggested walking location for this episode is The Nut, Stanley, Tasmania.Learn more at www.sciartwalks.com.au 

A talk by Professor Gretta Pecl, with music by Michael Fortescue.Climate change and rising sea temperatures are pushing Australian coastal marine species south, in search of cooler waters and more suitable habitat. But Tasmania’s east coast is pretty much the stop of last resort for many vulnerable species. To those gazing out over the dazzling Wineglass Bay, the changes occurring below the surface may be invisible, but their effects are already altering our ecosystems and ways of life.The suggested walking location for this episode is Wineglass Bay Walk, Freycinet National Park, Tasmania.Learn more at www.sciartwalks.com.au 

A talk by Andry Sculthorpe and Billy Paton-Clarke, with music by Emily Wurramara.Many Australians view fire as a destructive force, but there’s more than one type of fire. Aboriginal people have been burning this country for centuries, helping to encourage native vegetation, improve food availability for humans and animals, and restoring balance in the ecosystem. Knocklofty Reserve was a very different environment not so long ago, but when we look out at the vegetation there today, we rarely see what’s been lost and what’s misplaced. Reigniting Aboriginal fire culture in Tasmania is a crucial step towards restoring our connection to country and our ability to understand and respect our fragile habitats. The suggested walking location for this episode is Knocklofty Reserve, Hobart, Tasmania.Learn more at www.sciartwalks.com.au 

A talk by Professor Barbara Holland with music by Brian Ritchie.The field of phylogenetics describes how all living things are related, and can be traced back to a common ancestor (one of Darwin’s key insights). As you wander through the ancient geological formation of Launceston’s Cataract Gorge, a reflection on using mathematical tools to understand evolution, species diversity, and what ties us all together. The suggested walking location for this episode is Cataract Gorge, Launceston, Tasmania.Learn more at www.sciartwalks.com.au 

A talk by Dr Andy Flies with music by Emily Sanzaro.Tassie Devil populations are at risk of extinction due to a devastating transmissible cancer that has wiped out huge numbers of the iconic species. But their plight has catalysed groundbreaking research into devil immune systems, and the search for an effective vaccine against the deadly tumour is well underway. The upshot may be that we pull the devil back from the brink, while also discovering crucial insights into other wildlife diseases, including those thought to underlie the Coronavirus pandemic.The suggested walking location for this episode is Cradle Mountain, Tasmania.Learn more at www.sciartwalks.com.au 

A talk by David Walsh with music by Zac Henderson.Humans are flawed evaluators of past decisions. We place far too much emphasis on outcomes, with little consideration of inherent risk. When we learn to appreciate the importance of alternative histories, the ghosts of our past decisions come back to haunt us, or perhaps we finally appreciate the broker who sold us that insurance policy we never collected on. Perched just above the Derwent River, trekking through David Walsh’s past and present stomping grounds, a chance to view Mona, and the world, through his distinct point of view. The suggested walking location for this episode is GASP! Trail, Glenorchy, Tasmania.Learn more at www.sciartwalks.com.au