Mary Shelley Symposium

MARY SHELLEY SYMPOSIUM
Monsters and Mad Scientists:

Female Villains and Monsters in 30 Years of Dr Who
- Tansy Rayner Roberts
It’s the 50th anniversary of a TV show famous for debonair villains, invading aliens and all manner of scary (or slightly wobbly) monsters. But what about the women? Do Daleks or Cybermen become less intimidating if they’re female? Why did the Silurians change gender in the 21st century? Is it as simple as… the ugly monsters are male and the pretty ones are female? What are the secrets to creating complex, original monsters that aren’t played or voiced by male actors?

Tansy Rayner Roberts has a PhD in Classics and writes fantasy novels for a living. She also writes (and talks) a lot about Doctor Who.

Sunday 10 March, 12.00 pm - 1.00 pm

Peacock Theatre, Salamanca Arts Centre
Free
The Girlie Werewolf Hall of Fame
- Jazmina Cininas
In creating a portrait gallery of female werewolves Jazmina’s aim is to expand existing visual mythographies of the female werewolf, drawing attention to the generally overlooked literary and historical narratives of female lycanthropy and the role of the feminine in the evolution of werewolf lore. Her chief medium for this project is the inherently transformative reduction linocut, whereby the plate is progressively cut into and destroyed while the print correspondingly becomes more complete.

Jazmina is currently undertaking her PhD, The Girlie Werewolf Hall of Fame: Historical and Contemporary Figurations of the Female Werewolf, at RMIT University, where she also lectures in Printmaking. Picture shows Erzsébet was frequently mistaken for a vampire (2011), reduction linocut, 37.0 x 28 cm (cropped).

Friday 8 March, 1.00 pm - 2.00 pm

Peacock Theatre, Salamanca Arts Centre
Free
Zombolette and Me

A brief introduction to the art of making comics
- Scarlette Baccini
Comics are a unique platform for storytelling. Learn the basics of the medium with indie comic creator Scarlette Baccini, who will talk about her process, and discuss how to build tension and atmosphere in horror comics.

Zombolette is Scarlette’s most well-known creation to date. She’s a gross zombie who woke up one day in a pool of blood with no memory of her life. As she searches for answers, she is joined by her housemate Cameron… a giant mutant guinea-pig genetic test subject gone wrong. An anthology of Zombolette stories and strips was published in March 2012 by Milk Shadow Books.

Saturday 9 March, 1.00 pm - 2.00 pm

Peacock Theatre, Salamanca Arts Centre
Free
Beyond Butterflies

Stop-motion animation and character design
- Isabel Peppard
Isabel will explain the process by which she made her latest major project, Butterflies, a short film voiced by Rachel Griffiths which has screened at festivals around the world to acclaim. Her methodology is authetntic, painstaking stop-motion, using finely crafted sets and characters and complex moving parts. Isabel worked for artist Patricia Piccinini and as an animator on Adam Elliot’s Max and Mary before turning her attention to her own stories. Her films to date have been widely acclaimed, and are notable for their intricate settings and expressive character design.

Sunday 10 March, 1.30 pm - 2.30 pm

Peacock Theatre, Salamanca Arts Centre
Free