Developed through a series of hands-on workshops led by artist Amanda Bennetts, the exhibition showcases the innovative solutions designed by community members through a fusion of art, technology, and sci-fi. Utilising techniques of creative collaging, interactive electronics, lo-fi prototyping, and digital storytelling they unlock the mysteries of radical hope.

What is the Radical Hope Machine? 

One fateful night, a streak of light cut across the sky, a celestial object crashing onto Chambers Island, right in the heart of the Sunshine Coast. Local scientists, artists, and curious minds gathered to investigate. 

What they found was no ordinary debris. It was a machine, intact and otherworldly. The machine became known as the Radical Hope Machine. Theories flew as fast as the data: was it from a distant galaxy or perhaps a parallel world? 

As the investigation continued, it became clear that this machine held the power to address some of humanity’s most wicked problems. Climate change, resource scarcity, and social inequality all seemed within its reach if only we could unlock its mysteries. What if we could decode it and build our hope machines? This is where our journey begins. What is your ultimate radical hope machine? 

 Lead Artist

Amanda Bennetts

 About the Artist

Amanda Bennetts, based on the Sunshine Coast (Kabi Kabi Country), explores the intersections of art, science, and technology through the lens of care, health, and disability. Drawing from her lived experience with a progressive neurological disorder and a rare muscular condition, she reimagines non-normative corporeality as a site of resistance and speculative futures.

A Queensland College of Art graduate, Bennetts won the 2022 Best In Show Visual Arts prize. Her solo exhibitions include Metro Arts, Firstdraft, and Outer Space. She has exhibited at Ars Electronica, CTM Festival, and the Sydney Opera House, where her film Carve Crevice From Grace premiered.

Acknowledgements

Radical Hope Machine is presented by Horizon in partnership with Sunshine Coast Libraries.

This project was developed with support from Sunshine Coast Council’s MadeSC program.