Twelve professionals spanning a plethora of creative disciplines will share the personal sources of inspiration that mould their thinking and practice at The Architecture Symposium: Influences, Not Influencers at Sydney’s State Library of New South Wales on 20 November.

Curated by Neil Durbach (Durbach Block Jaggers Architects) and Katelin Butler (Architecture Media), the symposium will act as an antidote to today’s digital age – of algorithms, personal brands and endless scrolling.

Speakers’ presentations will delve into the books, music, art, films, places, people, and experiences that have shaped their worldview, offering candid insights and fostering dialogue on how the adoption of a slower, more considered process can enrich one’s creative output.

Read up on the speakers below:

Mary Featherston, interior designer (Melbourne)

Mary Featherston AM is a widely awarded and published Australian interior designer specialising in design of learning environments. The focus of her research and practice is the relationship between young people, learning theory and the design of supportive physical environments in cultural venues and schools.

Glenn Murcutt, architect (Sydney)

Glenn Murcutt is Australia’s most internationally acclaimed architect. Characterised by its distinctive Australian character and environmental sensitivity, Glenn Murcutt’s portfolio has amassed notable accolades such as the Gold Medal of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (1992), the Alvar Aalto Medal (1992), the Pritzker Prize for Architecture (2002) and the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal (2009).

Qianyi Lim, Sibling Architecture (Sydney)

Qianyi Lim is a registered architect committed to creating inclusive, sustainable, and culturally enriching environments for diverse communities. Qianyi co-founded Sibling Architecture in Melbourne in 2012 before establishing the Sydney studio in 2017.

Evi O, Evi-O Studio (Sydney)

Sydney-based graphic designer Evi O specialises in publication design under her studio EOS (Evi-O Studio) which was established in 2017. She is also a practising artist, and an art and design publisher, producing books under her imprint Formist Editions.

Neil Durbach, Durbach Block Jaggers Architects (Sydney)

Event co-curator Neil Durbach is a life fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects. He has worked as a principal design architect on all projects of Durbach Block Jaggers Architects, through which he was named the Australian Institute of Architects’ 2026 Gold Medallist.

Sean Godsell, Sean Godsell Architects (Melbourne)

Sean Godsell formed Sean Godsell Architects in 1994. Sean’s work has been published in the world’s leading architectural journals and he has lectured and exhibited internationally. He has received numerous awards including the Institute’s 2022 Gold Medal.

Bill Henson, artist (Melbourne)

Bill Henson AO is one of Australia’s most renowned living artists. With a career spanning fifty years, his enduring artistry manifests in striking images that examine the timeless mystery of the human condition.

Anna Jankovic, Simulaa (Melbourne)

Anna Jankovic is an architect, and the director and co-founder of Naarm/Melbourne-based architecture practice Simulaa. She leads design studios that have a critical engagement with architecture’s relationship to environmental, social and temporal systems.

Zuzana Kovar, Zuzana and Nicholas (Brisbane)

Zuzana Kovar is an academic and practitioner. She established Zuzana and Nicholas, along with Nicholas Skepper, in 2013 as a multidisciplinary practice that engages in architecture, arts practice, architectural research and education.

Ian McDougall, ARM Architecture (Melbourne)

Ian McDougall is an architect, academic and agitator, renowned for his innovative designs in public and cultural architecture, urban masterplanning, and contributions to public discourse, design education and the performing arts. He co-founded ARM Architecture with Stephen Ashton and Howard Raggatt, together winning the Institute’s 2016 Gold Medal.

Danielle Peck, Architecture Associates (Melbourne)

Danielle Peck is an architect, founding director of Architecture Associates and an industry fellow at Monash School of Art, Design and Architecture. Her practice, co-led with architect Sam Hunter, focuses on spaces for cultural exchange, and the intersectional landscape of contemporary cities.

Kieran Wong, The Fulcrum Agency (Perth)

Kieran Wong is a co-founder and partner at The Fulcrum Agency (TFA), a BCorp and social enterprise practice of architects, project managers and grant writers who support First Nations-led projects across Australia. His work has received national and international awards for its design quality, community engagement processes and social impact.

Tickets to the full-day symposium are now available. Architects are eligible to earn up to 4.5 formal CPD points, while Design Institute of Australia members can earn 6 DIA CPD points by attending The Architecture Symposium: Influences, Not Influencers.

The Architecture Symposium is a Design Speaks program organised by Architecture Media, supported by premium partners Kingspan, Bondor Metecno and Voltex, and hotel partner Collection by TFE Hotels.