Last chance to grab free Raising the Bar tickets

Last chance to grab free Raising the Bar tickets

University of Auckland academics are speaking all over Auckland in pubs and bars for one night only on Tuesday, August 28.

Most of the 20 talks have sold out, but seats still remain for a small number of lectures in local pubs. All talks are free but registrations are essential.

Kirsten Zemke, a senior lecturer in ethnomusicology, will explore Bounce, a genre of queer hip hop music originating from the black gay community of New Orleans, which has been copied and sampled by pop artists such as Drake, Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus, has carved a space for marginalised voices and beats to be heard, and gave ‘twerking’ to the world.

And one for the gaming community - Ivan Mouraviev will demonstrate how music enlivens the artistry and athleticism of eSports events and tournaments such as Dota 2 and League of Legends.

Other top academics with seats remaining are Eva Hakansson, the motorbike-riding mechanical engineer who uses high speed racing to open people’s eyes and minds to sustainable technology; Nicholas Rowe, Associate Professor in Dance Studies who will explore the junction of cross-cultural arts project and political trouble in hot spots across the Middle East, Asia and Africa; and Rochelle Constantine, whose fascinating talk about Auckland’s Big Blue Backyard and the Big Things That Live There will open people’s eyes to the biodiversity in our own Hauraki Gulf.

Finally, scientist Cather Simpson will explain how the endlessly-fascinating lasers at the Photon Lab were once thought to be rather useless, possibly indulgent pieces of academic kit. A few years on those lasers (and clever researchers) have given rise to two award-winning companies: Engender Technologies and Orbis Diagnostics.

Tickets remain for:

Each bar will host two talks, one beginning at 6.30pm and another at 8pm.

Visit http://www.rtbevent.com/auckland to register.

Ends

© Scoop Media