the ethics of nudity
SERIES

BEING HUMAN Conversation

DATE & TIME

18 SEPTEMBER 2019
6:30 – 8pm

LOCATION

The Ethics Centre
Legion House, Level 1,
161 Castlereagh St,
Sydney 2000

PRICE

TICKETS $39

What regulates our contextual rules of nudity?

Near naked at the beach but not one block back from the sand. Nudes on art gallery walls but never offices. Children under three okay but not over five. Women on screen but rarely men. What regulates our contextual rules of nudity?

The ethical tensions over nakedness abound. Promoting modesty or body shaming. Sexualised or functional. Offensive or judgemental. Women and girls in particular seemed damned if they do and damned if they don’t when it comes to showing a bit of skin. And what of the clothed body, with all the markers of class, social status and culture that brings?

We have laws regulating indecent exposure and social media community standards allowing some but not all women’s  nipples to be shown. The naked form has always been a core subject of art yet what constitutes nudity has never in history been agreed upon. Is a loincloth clothing? A midriff top? Debates over what’s appropriate for kids, teens, women, advertising and Instagram suggest we are no closer to unified opinion.

About ‘The Ethics Of…’ Series

‘The Ethics Of…’ is an intimate event series that delves into the minds of various experts to examine the experiences, hopes and challenges that make us truly human.

Venue partner and wine sponsor

cake wines

Speakers

Dr Tim Dean

Dr Tim Dean

Tim Dean is a doctor of moral philosophy and host of ‘The Ethics of Nudity’. You’re in good hands! He will show us how some of the great philosophical thinking on nudity, the physical form and how it relates to our own experience. Tim is really good at translating abstract ideas so they’re engaging and useful – so good he has been recognised with awards for his science writing and contributions to public philosophy.

Dr Nikki Goldstein

Dr Nikki Goldstein is a sexologist and relationships consultant. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, a Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling and a Doctorate of Human Sexuality. She is the author of #singlebutdating and host of the podcast ‘Sex And Life’. Nikki says that over censorship has contributed to an over-sexualisation of the naked body. In focusing on the sexual, she believes we have lost sight of the beauty of our unclothed form.

Jackie Dunn

Jackie Dunn is the special exhibitions curator at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, with a professional background that includes teaching art history and curation and frequent contributions to art projects, written work and film. Her work has included an exhibition called ‘nude’ – one of arts oldest subjects, and its most controversial. Art shows that our relationship with nudity is always evolving, taking on new forms in response to wider public discourses about the body.

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Who is it for?


  • THE CURIOUS
  • THE PROVOCATEUR
  • THE SELF REFLECTOR
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What you'll take away


  • 01CHALLENGING AND THOUGHT-PROVOKING IDEAS
  • 02THE THOUGHT PROCESS BEHIND A PIECE OF ART
  • 03WHY SELF-AWARENESS MAKES YOU A BETTER PERSON