Programme Announced For The Achates Philanthropy Foundation Symposium

The Achates Philanthropy Foundation is delighted to announce the full programme for its first virtual Symposium, 'All that's been revealed...'. Every evening at 7pm from 15 to 19 November, a line-up of outstanding creatives and thought leaders will challenge the cultural sector to think differently, in a wide-ranging, artist-led programme curated by writer and theatre director, Javaad Alipoor (The Believers Are But Brothers, Rich Kids: A History of Shopping Malls in Tehran).

The Symposium takes a multidisciplinary approach to some of today's most urgent issues - from the cultural implications of addressing climate change, to the myth of social mobility in the creative industries - through a series of forward-looking conversations with UK and international guest speakers.

Achates Philanthropy Foundation Chair, Caroline McCormick, said: "The Achates Philanthropy Foundation is committed to change in the cultural sector and believes that in order to bring that about we need spaces for real dialogue and debate. We are delighted that as one of the most exciting and distinctive voices in the sector, Javaad Alipoor, is leading this conversation for us. The programme he has curated is packed with thought leaders and big ideas. We all expect to have our ideas challenged through these conversations and believe this will help us to move forward together, stronger, as a result".

Guest Curator, Javaad Alipoor, said: "In the arts sector we often think about the problems we face in isolation. But the last two years have shown that the challenges we face are a microcosm of society more broadly. Whether that's the challenges of catastrophic climate change, the economic brutality visited upon by a work force made largely of freelancers with poor pay and conditions, the rise of the new authoritarianism, or unfit-for-purpose structures of leadership and power - the way we make, curate and support art can't be changed until we ask fundamental questions about how society works. I'm really excited to welcome such an amazingly diverse and talented range of panellists thinking through these timely and pressing questions."