Showcasing Indigenous Scholarship in Creative Practices - Black Knowing Seminar

Join the Carumba Institute for another seminar in the Showcasing Indigenous Scholarship Seminar Series!

For this seminar, we have invited three deadly Blackademics, Mr Donald Johannessen, Mr Brett Leavy and Miss Keely Eggmolesse to present on their scholarly and professional practice in Creative Practices.

Presentations will be followed by a short Q&A segment.

If you would like to attend via Zoom, please email carumbainstitute@qut.edu.au.

About the Showcasing Indigenous Scholarship Seminar Series

This seminar series presents Black academics and Higher degree research students at QUT with an opportunity to showcase research and innovative teaching and learning approaches that encapsulate the engagement and application of Indigenous knowledges. Such knowledges have worked to challenge the Eurocentric domination of curricula and research practice using the mandate of the Indigenous Australian Research Strategy. Knowledge sharing as a means of reciprocal relations is a key feature of the strategy, and the seminar series affords occasions where this takes place.

Meet the Scholars:

Mr Donald Johannessen

Donald (Donnie) is a proud Gooreng Gooreng and Kabi Kabi man with over 28 years of experience in journalism and media production. He has produced lifestyle programs for TPD Media, including Creek to Coast, Queensland Weekender, and The Great South East for the Seven Network, notably directing a special feature filmed on location at Mission Beach and Dunk Island.

Donnie co-produced a three-part documentary on the 2012 Indigenous Cricket Tour to India, broadcast internationally on NITV and the ABC’s Australia Network. He has served as chief commentator for the Queensland Murri Rugby League Carnival on NITV for nearly a decade and currently co-chairs the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Round Table at the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Donnie is completing a PhD by Creative Work at QUT, comprising a documentary titled Exhausted Voices Past Present Future and a written exegesis focused on Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) in media.

Mr Brett Leavy

Brett is a First Nations Kooma descendant and a current PhD candidate at QUT under the School of Creative Practice. His PhD research investigates the development and application of Virtual Songlines Digital Twins (VSDT) as a novel approach within the Virtual Heritage (VH) domain, specifically addressing the critical challenges associated with the digital representation, preservation, and revitalisation of living Indigenous knowledge systems.

This research contributes to the long-term vision of "THE INDIJIVERSE," a decentralised cultural heritage online universe. It creates dynamic, interactive "third spaces" that bridge physical reality and digital simulation, facilitating culturally appropriate knowledge transmission and application, as exemplified in past and current projects like Virtual Warrane, Virtual Maiwar, Virtual Naarm, and Whadjuk VR.

Miss Keely Eggmolesse

Keely Eggmolesse is a proud Kabi Kabi, Gooreng Gooreng and South Sea Islander woman with more than 15 years’ experience in the arts and community sectors. Keely is currently undertaking her Master of Philosophy degree at QUT. As a multidisciplinary artist, Keely enjoys exploring and combining different modalities in her rich storytelling. Her practice is built around decolonial and multi-sensorial methodologies, informed by culture and community, inspired by country and a generational knowledge of healing through song.