About the special guests
Adam Mada
As one of Australia’s leading magicians and magic/illusion consultants, Adam Mada has almost 20 years of experience creating, teaching and performing original magic and illusions for live theatre, events and screen. He frequently collaborates with artists, theatre makers and authors, and is a favourite across multiple television networks and a regular guest on both Studio 10 and ABC.Mada is the founder and director of Magic Inc, a company that creates bespoke custom magic effects and performances for advertising and special events. Magic Inc also fosters emerging magic talent, including Australian and New Zealand junior champions The Cardistry Boys, who were discovered by Mada in 2010.
Giselle Stanborough
Giselle Stanborough is an intermedia artist based in Sydney. Her works combine online and offline elements to address how user-generated media encourage us to identify and perform notions of self, and the relationship between connectivity and isolation. Motivated by a curiosity in the increasing indeterminacy between the private and public spheres, Stanborough’s work often addresses contemporary interpersonal experiences in relation to technology, feminism and consumer capitalism.Her work has featured in the Washington Post’s ‘Pictures of the Day’ and has been shown at major venues such as Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) and Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA), and she recently participated in international performance series BLOCKUNIVERSE, London. Upcoming exhibitions include Robot Love at Capina Melkfabriek, Eindhoven.
Dr Simon Langstaff
Philosopher Dr Simon Longstaff runs a thought experiment to test whether you feel truth should always be upheld above anything else. As the executive director of The Ethics Centre and co-curator of the Festival of Dangerous Ideas, Simon has been working closely with people of diverse thinking, ethical viewpoints and different interpretations of truth for decades. He has also been made an officer of the Order of Australia.
