Date: 29 October 2025, 5:00-6:30pm

Place: 010.06.089 Garden Building, RMIT University, Melbourne

Stories give meaning to our world. For this to happen, they need to be kept alive by being present in our lives. The default “home” for stories has been the bookshelf. But we are reading fewer books, and many stories are now being generated by Large Language Models without human involvement. At the same time, our screens are flooded with ephemeral “stories” on social media.

Objects provide an enduring vehicle for stories. When carried by objects, we can make stories part of our lives. They are objects that we can wear, exchange as gifts, adorn our spaces, or help orchestrate important rituals, processions, and ceremonies.

Object makers play a critical role in keeping stories alive. In this symposium, we will hear from artists, makers, designers and thinker-makers about the stories they believe are important to tell and the objects that house those stories.

More details about speakers and registrations will be confirmed soon.

Here are some storied objects from Garland:

Mobile ancestral hall - Tammy Wong Hulbert journeys from her home on Wurundjeri country to the land of her ancestors in Siew Chek Hum village, southern China.

Nonna’s Abundant Protection from the Malocchio - Celine Babet recreates the cornicello protection charm of her Sicilian ancestors in vibrant ceramic clusters.

A cherished Chinese tooth tradition - Li Letitia Shen mourns the loss of heritage buildings in Shanghai with jewellery evoking the objects of a lost childhood.

Finding the One Tree: A day in the Whipstick forest - Debra Higgins documents a day in the life of her circular practice, caring for the land that provides her art materials.