Cultural Conversations
Cultural Conversations: The proposition
Architecture is never the only thing happening at ARM; the in-house speaker series makes space in our calendars to think beyond the project at hand.
It’s an informal gathering on Friday evenings, roughly once a month, where we welcome the most interesting people we know (of) to talk about what they’re doing, thinking, or making. There’s no fixed format, no imposed theme, and no requirement for exclusivity. A drink in hand is mandatory. A good conversation is the only brief.
Speakers tend to be working at the edge of their field, with something specific and personal to share. They’re drawn from design, art, performance, urbanism, research, politics, and wherever else the interesting people are. The selection criteria are loose by design – the only real question is: would we want to spend an evening in conversation with this person?
Ideas are fundamental to our work, not incidental to it
The series fits who we are – curious, lateral, and convinced that the best ideas arrive sideways. Speakers are people who’ve spent their careers looking at things differently and who we might not otherwise encounter. It deepens our culture of intellectual inquiry and connections to the wider creative and civic world.
In 2026 the series is coordinated by ARM’s social club and business support team.
Dr Jill Orr. Photo by Andrea Wilson.
Next on the couch: Dr Jill Orr
Friday 2 October, 5pm-6pm
ARM Melbourne, 303 Collins Street
All month: Jill Orr on the Big Screen
Throughout October, Jill’s work will be showing on the big screen in ARM’s Melbourne studio lobby (level 27).
October 5-30, weekdays 9am-5pm
Jill Orr has delighted, shocked and moved audiences in Europe, North America and Australia since the late 1970s.
An Australian contemporary artist acclaimed for her performance, photography, video and installation art, Jill’s work centres on social and political issues, environmentalism, gender and the relationship between identity and place.
Join us for a drink and hear how Jill transforms landscape, ritual and human presence into unforgettable cultural experiences.
Jill Orr, Antipodean Epic – Interloper. Photo by Christina Simons.