World Hope Forum Australia
Curated by Philip Fimmano
Sunday, April 13th
9:00–12:00 Paris (CEST)
15:00–18:00 Perth (AWST)
17:00–20:00 Sydney (AEST)
The next World Hope Forum brings together inspiring creative voices that make up the multidimensional tapestry that is Australia. Spanning universal experiences as vast as the continent itself, we will learn about hope through personal histories, ancestral wisdom and irreverent joy from this Great Southern Land.
Programme TBA
Philip Fimmano
Co-Founder World Hope Forum, Ambassador WHF Australia
Philip Fimmano is a trend analyst and consultant, contributing to Trend Union’s forecasting books, magazines and strategic studies for international companies in fashion, textiles, interiors and lifestyle. In 2011, Fimmano co-founded Talking Textiles with Li Edelkoort; an ongoing initiative to promote awareness and innovation in textiles through touring exhibitions, a trend publication, a design prize and free educational programmes – including New York Textile Month, a citywide festival celebrating textile creativity each September. He is the co-author of the design book A Labour of Love (Lecturis, 2020) and the co-founder of the World Hope Forum, a new platform for creative community building. Fimmano is the mentor of Polimoda's fashion forecasting masters and textile masters in Florence, and he is on the Board of Directors for the International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe.
Shaynna Blaze
Shaynna Blaze is an award-winning interior designer, author, creative director, musician, and TV personality, best known for her roles on the long running series The Block and Selling Houses Australia, as the 2021 winner of Celebrity Apprentice Australia, as well as featuring on five other television series on free to air and cable networks. Shaynna is at the core her own creative studio, has several commercial design collaborations, and has created stunning interiors in residential homes and commercial spaces for more than thirty years. Shaynna is also a passionate advocate for the safety of women, and a social justice campaigner who has leant her voice and profile to a number of organisations tackling domestic violence in Australia. Shaynna was executive producer of the film ‘The Fort,’ made in collaboration with her two children. and this project spearheaded her co-founding of the not-for-profit charity ‘Voice of Change Australia,’ which channels the arts to create meaningful conversations, from using survivor and victims’ stories to changing the cultural attitudes that underpin family violence.
Kristina Dryža
Kristina Dryža is a futurist-turned-archetypal consultant, TEDx speaker and author, renowned for illuminating the invisible forces that shape human experience. A member of the Joseph Campbell Foundation’s Editorial Advisory Group and a steward for The Fifth Direction, she weaves together mythology, depth psychology and storytelling to reveal the timeless patterns guiding our lives. With an intuitive grasp of cultural rhythms and human desire, Kristina brings archetypes to life — not as relics of the past — but as living blueprints for creativity, innovation and alchemical transformation. She explores how archetypal patterns influence the way we design, connect and create, offering a fresh lens through which to see our own stories and the world around us. Her talks inspire audiences to recognise mythology not just as legend — but an alive, dynamic force — one that fuels imagination, shapes identity and holds the key to reimagining the future.
Trent Jansen
After a period working under Marcel Wanders in Amsterdam, designer Trent Jansen returned to Australia to set up a design studio in Sydney, before moving his practice to Thirroul on the New South Wales South Coast. Trent uses Design Anthropology methods to embody important cultural narratives in three-dimensional forms, so that these objects might become repositories for the dissemination of significant, but often marginal stories. His work echoes a dedication to the principals of designing with Country, through ongoing collaborative relationships with Dharug artist and designer Bernadette Hardy, Nyikana artist and designer Johnny Nargoodah, Pitjantjara and Yankunytjatjara artist and designer Tanya Singer, and Djabugay and Western Yalanji artist and designer Errol Evans. These collaborations realise meaningful objects that share stories of cultural heritage, navigating sensitive, marginal, and often multi-storied narratives. Trent and his collaborators have developed limited edition, one-off and site-specific works for clients including the Molonglo Group, Charter Hall and Mirvac, as well as products and furniture for manufacturers Moooi, DesignByThem and Tait. Jansen was one of the co-founders of Broached Commissions and has works acquired as part of the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Victoria.
Lesley Watson
Lesley Watson is a leading Australian fashion designer. Her label byfreer is designed and made locally, prioritising style over passing trends. The focus is on relaxed, feminine tailoring, offering the ultimate everyday luxury. It all began with a modest yet luxurious silk tee—Lesley's inaugural design that marked the intersection of style and opulent fabric. The success of each subsequent byfreer piece is rooted in its tactile experience. From stretch silk satin to cotton silk, Italian linen, and beyond, comfort takes precedence, and style is inherent. As a family business since 2014, byfreer has steadily evolved year by year. Now comprising a close-knit and passionate team, stationed between two boutiques in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, byfreer remains steadfast in its commitment to small-scale and sustainable production values, aligning seamlessly with its continuous success.
Jeannie Bourke
Jeannie Bourke is the founder of Venustus, an expert in beauty therapies, massage techniques and healing practices. Her loyal and highly skilled team, trained in house, have been with her for decades. Jeannie’s visionary approach, dedication to research and excellence is underscored by her continuous innovation and ability to create transformative, immersive experiences, making her at the cutting-edge figure in the wellness industry. Over three decades on Oxford Street, Paddington, Sydney, she has developed an unparalleled reputation for launching new treatment experiences, with each one exceeding her guests expectation. Venustus has established a skincare private-label, with ingredients chosen for their organic certification, to elevate the sensory experience for her guests. Every session is thoughtfully enhanced by bespoke playlists, listened through noise cancelling headphones, creating an immersive environment that complements the transformative power of her work. In her most recent venture, Jeannie, alongside her partner Gary, masterminded the creation of the new Venustus space, which took over two years to complete. The space incorporates sacred elements, with healing as the inspiration, including an architectural crystal grid buried beneath the space. The space is designed as a direct portal to the sun, moon and water, with four-metre private egg-shaped treatment pods, the most sacred, loving and secure of spaces.
Silvano Giordano
Silvano Giordano has been director of Wilurarra Creative since 2011, living and working in the Mirlirrtjarra (Warburton) Community in the remote Ngaanyatjarra Lands of Western Australia. He has a contemporary arts degree from the University of Western Sydney, Nepean and a background in commercial printing, design, contemporary and community arts, and sound engineering. With the belief that arts, creativity, access to technologies and appropriate self-directed learning opportunities are fundamental to self-determination, Silvano works alongside younger Ngaanyatjarra people to create exciting and relevant creative opportunities. Since 2004, Wilurarra Creative has facilitated a diverse range of community-driven activities and creative programmes, co-created with 16-30 year-old Ngaanyatjarra people. Project areas include music (recording, practice and performance), concerts, tours, community events, fashion, a social change hairdressing salon, screen printing, design, cultural maintenance, metal work, photography, digital inclusion, videos, and publications – including the Alanya project. Foundational to Wilurarra’s success is ‘working Malparara-way;’ Ngaanyatjarra and non-Ngaanyatjarra colleagues working alongside each other. Silvano works Malparara-way with the Ngaanyatjarra director of Wilurarra Creative, Brett Jennings.
Caroline Sherman & Florence Jaukae Kamel
Caroline Sherman has always had a passion for textiles and craft. Her visit to the village of Goroka, to meet communities of weavers in Papua New Guinea, marked a turning point in 2015. Motivated to empower the women and their families, and inspired by the artisan weavers’ clever colour play, Caroline went on to build the Among Equals brand around the idea of optimism and mindfulness. To date, Among Equals works with more than 2,000 women in Papua New Guinea, in close collaboration with regional leaders and aggregators, generating life-transforming revenue for the women and their families. As Caroline explains, “Among Equals is a brand that merges art and community with fashion and the ancient practice of Bilum weaving. Each bag is the most wonderful work of art, handwoven by an artisan – the design captures her spiritual and cultural heritage, her story and her craft. There is something so magical about their work.”
Florence Jaukae Kamel, known fondly as the 'Bilum Meri', is a fiercely passionate advocate for the women bilum weavers of Papua New Guinea and an integral part of Among Equals, not to mention a constant inspiration. In 2017, Florence started the Bilum Festival and Goroka Bilum Weavers, after leaving a home rife with domestic violence under the hand of her husband. She bought betel nut with 2 kina and spent 5 kina on internet access to email Ruth Choulai whose business card she had had in her wallet for four years. From so few resources, she has created so much. Florence is the epitome of strength, humility and what it means to be a woman forging a better future for the children of multiple communities. She works tirelessly to lift up her sister weavers and Mamas, to promote bilum at an international level, amongst many other creative pursuits and her own artistry. She cares for 10 children and 5 grandchildren, some biological and others she has taken in to provide a safe and loving environment.