2022's Festival of Dangerous Ideas Spans Everything From Facebook Whistleblowers to Free Tattoos

There's a festival for almost everything, or so it often seems — and when it comes to crucial and complex topics that demand discussion, that's where the Festival of Dangerous Ideas comes in. The Sydney event has been exploring provocative subjects since 2009, hopping between a number of different venues. And in 2022, that chatter, debate and eagerness to push boundaries will make the move to Carriageworks.

FODI heads to the Eveleigh spot across the weekend of Saturday, September 17–Sunday, September 18, and it has just unveiled exactly what'll have everyone talking. Leading the lineup: Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, tattoo-artist-to-the-stars Scott Campbell, UK historian Adam Tooze, and power and propaganda expert Ruth Ben-Ghiat.

Frances Haugen

Gaining global attention for leaking tens of thousands of internal Facebook documents that showed how the company has pursued profit over public safety, data engineer Haugen will obviously chat about social media — including how it has been weaponised, plus Australia's relationship with Facebook. She'll also talk about corporate responsibility, another topic linked to her former employer, in what promises to be a thoroughly fascinating discussion.

Campbell appears as part of FODI's arts lineup, putting on a weekend-long installation. Fancy getting inked by him for free? You can, but Whole Glory comes with a twist. He'll give you a tatt without you having to pay a cent — but it'll all happen without him meeting, looking at or talking to you at all. Also, you won't have any input into the art. You'll simply need to trust him, and be willing to take a chance to get quite the permanent souvenir.

Scott Campbell

Back to the more serious side of the program, economic commentator Tooze has the general state of the world in his sights, namely why humanity can't manage to do better in the face of climate change, war and likely recessions. As for Ben-Ghiat, she'll examine the rise of authoritarian strongmen in politics today, surveying Russia, China, America, Turkey and more, and diving into leader cults, disinformation and the other techniques that've been used to put such figures in power.

Also on the FODI 2022 lineup: writer, poet and comedian Alok Vaid-Menon, who'll use their own experience as a gender non-conforming artist to encourage the audience to view gender in as expansive a way as possible; psychologist Steven Pinker, giving a defence of the ideals of enlightenment and advocating for the necessity of reason in the Hitch Memorial Keynote; tech columnist and Rabbit Hole podcast host Kevin Roose, who'll focus on the algorithm's control of our lives; and Noongar woman and author Claire G Coleman, who'll probe the usual story that's spun about Australian colonisation.

Jodie Barker

Author Sisonke Msimang will tackle the way that Australia's pandemic lockdowns impacted Melbourne and Sydney's multicultural communities, while Peter Greste and Kylie Moore-Gilbert whether the Australian passport is becoming less powerful. Also, Senator Jacqui Lambie will deliver the festival's opening keynote, talking about her career, and the fest will host a special live recording of podcast A Rational Fear.

Other sessions will cover everything from censorship and being cancelled through to sexual assault, the increasingly automated future, and America's declining political, social and cultural influence. There'll also be a showcase of emerging thinkers called Fresh Blood, plus a fast-paced lineup of illuminating bite-sized talks on topical subjects called Unthinkable.

And, FODI's arts and installation lineup across the Carriageworks precinct will include Wiradjuri artist Brook Andrew's world-premiere piece MURUNY/Breathe, which uses a depiction of the brain to unpack the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples — plus Lucy Peach's multimedia celebration of periods, a game show experience about dark truths called Truthmachine by Counterpilot, and Legs On The Wall doing an improvisational theatre work about trust.

Jodie Barker

The 2022 Festival of Dangerous Ideas runs from Saturday, September 17–Sunday, September 18 at Carriageworks, 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh. To peruse the full program, and to buy festival tickets, visit the festival website.