The Ethics of Creativity

Steal like an artist? Create with no boundaries?

At The Ethics Centre, we’re used to celebrating creativity. Be they techie innovators, long-dead artists, or deftly-fingered musicians, the dedication to their craft implies qualities we admire. Commitment, courage, flair. Even a streak of madness.

But when the artist’s new idea or uncomfortable truth makes us squirm, we rarely get the chance to ask them why. Why did they censor when we wanted them to shout? Why did they laugh when we wanted them to rally?

Tonight, these artists speak for themselves. Hear their stuff-ups, their sacrifices, and the lines they swear they’ll never cross.

At The Ethics of Creativity, stop guessing and find out for yourself.

Speakers

Brett Patman is the photographer behind Lost Collective, a project capturing abandoned built environments. The sites he shoots have rich histories of communities past but are often privately owned and gated — like old pubs, power stations, and hospitals, destined for demolition or gentrification. 

Mirrah is a rapper and singer known for energetic performances and a positive attitude to music and creativity. Record labels find it hard to pigeonhole the recording artist who is Indonesian-born with African heritage and brought up in California and Australia. Alongside her art, she is dedicated to youth work.

Sasha Brandt is a tattooist and co-owner of The Darling Parlour Tattoo studio. She is passionate about creating designs she knows will last for decades on a person’s skin. Her artistic creations are colourful floral and animal pieces. Tattooing is Sasha’s first and only job.

Scott Marsh is a graffiti artist who juxtaposes the ‘high art’ of galleries with the street art found on trains and walls. His canvases feature floral bouquets with trade tools like bolt cutters and spray cans. His socio-political murals take on lock out laws, environmental policies, and famously, Kanye West.