(Human) Nature and The City

As co-founder and creative director of Cultural Capital, Mark provides cultural placemaking advice to government and the development industry. He brings his experience as cultural strategist, curator in the public realm, artist and designer. With twenty-five years’ experience in the design, arts and cultural sectors, Mark has become an authoritative voice in the emerging field of cultural placemaking.

Kate Meyrick is a bold strategic thinker with a passion for cities. She is a lawyer with a master’s degree in urban design and estate management. British-born, Kate has more than twenty-five years in the property industry and has worked throughout Europe and Australia as well as Asia and the USA as an urbanist and place maker. Until December 2019 she was the Chief Executive of The Hornery Institute, recently joining Urbis as a director in their strategic advisory team – Future State.

Craig Kerslake is an architect, proud Wiradjuri man and Director of Nguluway DesignInc. He is passionate about bringing First Nations voices into the built environment, and fostering the next generation of First Nations designers. Drawing on his cultural heritage, community and knowledge of Country, Craig brings designing from Country methodologies into a wide range of projects.

Alison Page is an award-winning creative at the forefront of contemporary Australian Aboriginal design and storytelling. As a descendant of the Walbanga and Wadi Wadi people of the Yuin nation, and as a leading force in the Australian design scene, she champions the contemporary creative expression of Aboriginal identity.

Alison's creative practice explores links between cultural identity, art and the built environment. Until recently, Alison was the founding CEO of the Saltwater Freshwater Arts Alliance and Director of their annual Saltwater Freshwater festival. She was the founder of the National Aboriginal Design Agency, and was a member of the expert panel for the federal government’s Constitutional Recognition of Indigenous People. She appeared for eight years as a regular panelist on the ABC TV show, The New Inventors.

Dr Elizabeth Farrelly, for thirty years the Sydney Morning Herald’s principal columnist on architecture and ideas, is one of Sydney’s leading advocates for public space and aesthetics. Currently Writer in Residence at the University of Sydney, she trained in architecture and philosophy, has a PhD in urbanism, is a former City of Sydney Councillor and a Director of the National Trust NSW. She has written across the globe and published several books including Bubberland; the Dangers of Happiness (2007) and Killing Sydney; the fight for a city’s soul (Picador 2021).