Photo by Austin Chan on Unsplash
The Crisis of Justice in the Modern World
Join us for a screening of the play Twenty Minutes With The Devil, followed by a discussion about the crisis of justice and politics in the modern world. Topics discussed will include harm reduction, global drug wars, social inequity, corruption and gender and violence.
Provisional screening details
Date: 13 December, 2023
Time: 4.00pm until 6.30pm (screening and discussion)
Venue: Gibson Room, Level 10 Z Block, Gardens Point campus, QUT
Twenty Minutes With The Devil: by Luis Gómez Romero & Desmond Manderson
“You see, my friend, I am just a humble businessman with a knack for success and no tolerance for failure.”
Half an hour alone with your worst fears and wildest dreams. No help, no witnesses, and not a minute to lose. When the crisis comes – what would you do?
On a lonely desert road in the dead of night, highway police Angela and Romulo are a team – sort of. Romulo is a shambles. Angela’s all business. But then they stop a speeding car and discover a man stripped to his undershirt and covered in filth.
Part thriller, part black comedy, this play is inspired by events leading to the capture of El Chapo, Mexico’s most notorious drug lord, in 2016. But Twenty Minutes With The Devil transcends its original context, opening instead onto a world that is everywhere and nowhere, in an idiom at once strange and familiar. It asks vital questions about law, politics, and justice in the modern world. About the lives and decisions out of our control that seem to hold us all hostage. And the patterns that entrap us in other ways parents and children, myths and beliefs, childhood memories and fantasies of escape.
The fruit of a remarkable collaboration between two writers from very different cultures, here is a fable for the world we live in: a work which takes real problems in the world around us and gives them a vivid imaginative life. By turns suspenseful and reflective, witty, gritty, and poetic, Twenty Minutes With The Devil will grab you by the throat from the very first moment and demand that you, too, make a choice before time runs out.
Live or die, stay or go, trust or betray: we’re all looking for a way out of the locked room of the modern world.
Starring: PJ Williams, Joanna Richards and Raoul Craemer
Direction: Caroline Stacey
Design: Imogen Keen
Lighting Design: Antony Hateley
Sound Design: James Tighe
Twenty Minutes With The Devil / Trailer from The Street Theatre on Vimeo.
Lex Machina(rt) Conference Exhibition Z Block Level 10
Welcome to Lex Machina(rt), an exhibition that delves into the intricate tapestry of human connections amidst the relentless march of technological advancement and legal frameworks. This collection of thought-provoking artworks transcends the digital realm, encompassing the myriad technologies that are reweaving the fabric of our cities to confront climate change, and those intimate innovations that shape
the genesis of families.
As you journey across this exhibition, we invite you to reflect on how these forces shape our bonds and beliefs. The pieces on display do not merely depict; they narrate the complex saga of our dance with the law, each brushstroke and pixel resonating with the tensions and harmonies that will be explored in this conference.
Art possesses a profound capacity to distil multi-faceted concepts into visceral experiences, making the abstract
tangibly emotive. Through this visual dialogue, Lex Machina(rt) offers a mirror to society, reflecting the profound impact of technology and law on the sinews of human relationships. Join us in exploring this compelling intersection, where the canvas becomes a court, engaging the public in a conversation that is as ancient as law itself, yet as current as the latest headline.
About the Artist
Dr Brydon Timothy Wang is a scholar and artist practising at the intersection of technology and law. His work examines representations of the law and captures human relationships under threat. His unique qualifications in both law and architecture inform his distinctive approach to art, particularly in his emerging practice in post-painting portraiture and digital photography. He was a finalist in the 2022 Brisbane Portrait Prize and People’s Choice recipient at the 2021 and 2019 Melt Portrait Prize. He published his first children’s picture book in 2023, a retelling of the ‘Three Little Pigs’ that translates his research on ocean governance and floating cities. This book accompanies two edited collections published by Springer: Automating Cities (2021) and Large Floating Structures (2015). His visual storytelling is showcased on Instagram under the handle ‘brisvegasdad’.
Is your period tracking app as discreet as your best friend? Co-design Workshop 13 December Z208
Presenters: Dr Rachel Hews, Hayley Langsdorf, Kim Langsdorf
Summary: Period tracking apps are becoming increasingly popular. The apps claim to allow users to better manage their periods, but they require users to provide and share highly sensitive period-related data. It is often unclear how period-related data will be used, whether it will be stored securely or whether it will be on-sold and how accurate in-app predictions are. In conjunction with the QUT Law School, Digital Media Research Centre, and Thoughts Drawn Out, the facilitators will use two back-to-back legal design sessions to better identify the opportunities and the risks of period-tracking apps for users and to identify potential solutions to identified concerns. This is not your typical conference presentation: this is co-design in real-time!
Sessions:
Sessions 1 and 2 build on each other, but if you can only attend one session, that’s ok. If you can’t attend the sessions, there will be an opportunity to interact with our project during the conference. Keep an eye out for the relevant posters and QR codes.
1. Session 1: Explore (Wed 8:45am – 10:15am)
2. Session 2: Emerge (Wed 2pm – 3:30pm)
Background: Apple Ad (25 May 2023): Apple “Mary’s period is due to start in 3 days”; ABC News (15 June 2023) Should you use a period tracker or fertility app?; & BBC News (7 Sept 2023): Period trackers to be reviewed over data concerns.
Important: Please note participants will be asked to sign a research consent form allowing anonymised workshop data to potentially be used for research purposes. This is a gender inclusive session: we welcome a diverse set of voices.
