A Focus on Renewal – Semi Permanent Festival of Creativity and Design

Semi Permanent returns to Carriageworks as part of Vivid Sydney 2023, from 31st May through 2nd June. The annual festival of creativity and design presents thoughtful inquiries and a dynamic lineup of leading creative innovators.

Semi Permanent is the largest and longest-running creativity and design festival in the southern hemisphere, hosting a range of events in 13 cities across the world. Now entering its 21st year, the event will unite the creative industries across the Asia Pacific in three days of inspiring and educational talks, discussions, workshops, exhibitions and installations. Through conversation, collaboration and inspired creativity, the event hopes to share valuable insight into the processes of some of the world’s leading visionaries.

Through conversation, collaboration and inspired creativity, the event hopes to share valuable insight into the processes of some of the world’s leading visionaries.

Semi Permanent’s theme for 2023 is ‘reformation’, inspiring conversations around ideas of rebuilding a positive collective future while referring to history to re-write past wrongs. Mitchell Oakley Smith, Semi Permanent’s global Creative Director, says, “we thought the world would seek to build itself back as it was, but it’s increasingly clear that our collective future cannot – nor should not – look anything like its past.” He continues, “one look around will tell you the seeds have already been sown: the promise of a borderless Web3 world; the reclaiming of time via remote work capabilities, and in its place, something new is beginning to emerge: new creative languages, new ways to communicate, to create, organise, disrupt, rebuild.”

This year’s program reflects such shifts within the broader scope of creative practice in 2023 – including filmmaking, graphic, photography, illustration, publishing and advertising alongside spatial and motion design, filmmaking, animation, Web3 and visual data. Themes delve into timely topics including futurism, feminism, First Nations culture, accessibility, sustainability and diversity.

Semi Permanent’s theme for 2023 is ‘reformation’, inspiring conversations around ideas of rebuilding a positive collective future while referring to history to re-write past wrongs.

Some of this year’s speakers include Irish writer, academic and disability activist Sinéad Burke, Founder of Tilting The Lens, a consultancy that supports clients including Gucci, Ralph Lauren, and Netflix to initiate systemic changes for a world that is more accessible and equitable. Liam Young, film director and architect exploring the blurred boundaries between film, fiction, design and storytelling with the goal of prototyping and imagining the future of the city, will also be attending.  Data journalist, writer, artist and producer Mona Chalabi, who rehumanises data to better help understand the world and the way people live in it, is taking part in this year’s program. Bijan Berahimi, Iranian-American designer and founder of FISK, a studio championing a wide range of ethnicities, voices and backgrounds, will also be in attendance.

Semi Permanent 2023 seeks to connect and inspire around the concept of reformation – asking questions about reforming seemingly immutable practices and the possibility of redesigning the world. Visitors will not only enhance their skill set but will also expand their understanding of an ever-evolving creative landscape. For more information, visit www.semipermanent.com