This year's First Thought Talk series, which focuses on Power, includes speakers Marwa Al-Sabouni, Emma Rice, Colm Tóibín, Rebecca MacKinnon, Maureen Gaffney, Tom Tomorrow, Caitriona Perry and Bennett Freeman.
Galway International Arts Festival’s discussion platform First Thought Talks is a thought leadership platform focused on creativity that showcases thought-provoking discussion with both Irish and international thought leaders on forward-thinking ideas and creative best practices from a range of arts and non-arts disciplines.
The Power of First Thought Talks
First Thought Talks takes place each year as part of the festival and, increasingly, as a stand-alone event. The platform is a forum for discussion on creativity across a range of fields and disciplines, with the aim of engaging, informing and inspiring creative discourse. Since its introduction in 2012, the programme has developed significantly and, in May this year, GIAF presented the first stateside, First Thought Talks programme event in New York.
First Thoughts Talks are a key element of the July Galway International Arts Festival programme, which will run this year from 17-30 July. Details have been announced of those talking part and this year the focus is on POWER.
First Thought Talks participants will include:
Producer and Visual Artist, Stano in The Power of Silence.
Syrian architect and mother of two, Marwa Al-Sabouni in The Power of Home .
Aoife McElwain Food Writer and General Enthusiast in The Power Ballad.
Artistic director of London’s Shakespeare Globe, Emma Rice in The Power of Theatre.
Designer and Professor Rebecca Earley in The Power of Less.
Cartoonist Tom Tomorrow (aka Dan Perkins) in Cartoon Power.
Psychologist Maureen Gaffney in Putting the Me in Media.
Author Barry W Fitzgerald and comic artists Declan Shalvey & Maura McHugh in The Power of Superheros.
Author and journalist Sean Duke & Quentin Gargan, Renewable Energy Expert in Future Power.
Emeritus Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at the University of Sheffield, Noel Sharkey in Doctor, Who's in Charge of the Robots.
Author, TED Talker, broadcaster and director of the Ranking Digital Rights project Rebecca MacKinnon & Former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Bennett Freeman in The Power Company.
Maria Hennessy from the Irish Refugee Council, Author Garrett Carr & Radio producer Kathy O’Hare in The Power of Borders.
Award winning author Colm Toibin & RTE correspondent Caitriona Perry in A Powerful Effect.
Actor and singer Camille O’Sullivan, Charlie Fink of rock group Noah and the Whale, Roddy Doyle & Abbey Theatre Director Neil Murray in Vinyl Hours.
Journalist, filmmaker and author Luke Dormehl in Powering Ahead.
Full details on the First Thought Talk programme.
This programme is supported by Creative Ireland, Galway City Council and the Arts Council.
