How did The Interrobang come about? “It’s a dream of Michael Williams’, Director of The Wheeler Centre,” answers Sexton. “He’s had it for some time, and now that the Wheeler Centre is established, has been in Melbourne for five or six years, it’s time. We’ve noticed how audience questions can shift and change and adapt a panel discussion/event. Panel events are tremendously impacted by questions. They can shift a discussion onto new grounds, down new roads. We wanted a festival that was dialectic and responsive. Oslo Davis (cartoonist and The Wheeler Centre panel regular) once joked about a call for audience questions; he said they were usually terrible. But actually Melbourne is good at asking questions.”
How did they choose the panelists? “We were looking for pluralists,” answers Sexton. “People with a range of expertise, people who can talk to more than one area of knowledge, who can bring a range of disciplines to the table. For example, we’ve got Adam Liaw, we know him as a chef from TV but he has two degrees (law and science) in his background. We’ve got the novelist Geraldine Brooks who has a huge background as a foreign correspondent. So we have people who can answer a range of different questions. People who ask challenging questions, who are good at asking questions themselves. It’s a brand new festival so we wanted people who are willing to play, be part of something new, who can be spontaneous, risk and jump right in. It’s been a grand adventure starting the festival from scratch,” Sexton continues. “It’s not an arts festival, it’s not a writers’ festival, it’s something really new.”
To have so many fine minds in the service of public curiosity is indeed something special – along with Brookes and Liaw, the panelists include comedian and writer Rob Delaney,medical anthropologist Gregory Phillips,USwriter and advice columnist Cheryl Strayed,blogger, author and tech-activist Cory Doctorow, former Greek Minister of Finance, Yanis Varoufakis, author, activist and journalist Anne Summers, writer and editor Meghan Daum, writer Benjamin Law, writer and performer Nakkiah Lui, journalis, broadcaster Mark Colvin, columnist and broadcaster Tom Elliott and comedian Sammy J.
Sexton likes the idea that this festival will counter any challenge that The Wheeler Centre might be ‘all talk’. “It will comprise thoughtful, lectures and talks, panels, and fun. It’s what our audiences have come to expect from The Wheeler Centre. We’re having a quiz show, Questions on Notice, where a Brains Trust will be answering questions that are drawn from a barrel.” Is there any one thing Sexton is especially looking forward to? “I’m really looking forward to the last event, One Last Question, where we talk about storytelling – we ask whether words are more important than action. It’s an awesome way to finish the year. We do a storytelling gala to start the year so to finish off by asking that question in a festival context will be really nice.” Half of The Interrobang events are ticketed and they’re all under $50, and there’s a range of free events,” continues Sexton. “There are short lectures, on a whole range of topics submitted by the crowd. One of my favourite questions is – ‘does the universe have a memory?’ It’s a beautiful question. There’s a panel discussion where people can get online, that’s all free.”
Needless to say, few of the questions will garner definitive answers. “There won’t be experts telling us the answers,” says Sexton. “There are no answers to some of these questions. The most we can hope for is that there will be greater understanding, that we see some progress in understanding. For example, the question as to why we marry capitalism to democracy – there’s no definite response, so this is not resolves; there are issues to be explored. And there are no politicians involved, so it’s appropriate for the community to really speak out. We have scientists, futurists, the festival is subject based, is about the process of asking, of considering different ideas with people who are open with their views. There will be reflective and funny moments. It won’t be a consensus fest!”
Are there plans to repeat The Interrobang? “It’s a bi-annual festival,” Sexton replies. “The next one in 2017.”
BY LIZA DEZFOULI
