TEDxMelbourne 2026: All Analogue

As digital technologies continue to reshape how we live, All Analogue explores the enduring value of offline, human-centred living.
About this Event

In an age of constant interruption, choosing where we direct our attention may be one of the most radical acts of all. But attention is only the beginning.

Across science, culture, nature and human behaviour, we explore what analogue ways of being continue to offer: opportunities to connect, belong, create, adapt and experience the world around us.

These unique perspectives and ideas invite us to unravel the threads that connect us to human nature; allowing us to briefly ground ourselves with simplicity, and reflect on what we want to carry forward.

Some of the best idea exchanges and experiences exist in the moment; in a room filled with curious and courageous minds. No noise. All Analogue.

This is an evening where you simply have to be there.

Featured Speakers:

Matt Formston AM, GAICD
World champion surfer, Cyclist, and Australian Paralympian I Executive, Optus

Matt Formston has built a career around navigating the world without sight, from surfing fifty-foot waves to serving as an executive and Board Chair. As the subject of the Netflix documentary The Blind Sea, his experience offers a powerful perspective on attention and the ways we can tune into what we hear, feel and sense beyond the noise around us.

Professor Kelly-Ann Allen
Professor of Belonging Science, Monash University | Educational and Developmental Psychologist and Clinical Psychologist

A DECRA Fellow and dual-qualified psychologist, Kelly-Ann Allen’s research explores the fundamental human need for connection and the role belonging plays in our motivation, wellbeing and health. Her work brings a deeper understanding of what happens when we create the time, space and presence for meaningful relationships, community and a genuine sense of belonging.

Professor Stephen Gaunson
Associate Professor in Cinema Studies in the School of Media & Communication, RMIT University

A cinema studies scholar, Stephen Gaunson’s work spans Australian film history, screen culture and cinema industries. Through his research and work with the Friends of the National Film & Sound Archive, he explores the power of shared stories and collective experiences, and what makes experiencing cinema together different from consuming culture alone and on demand.

Dan Woodman
TR Ashworth Professor in Sociology, University of Melbourne

Dan Woodman is the TR Ashworth Professor in Sociology at the University of Melbourne and Co-Chief Investigator of the Life Patterns Project, a 35-year and ongoing longitudinal study following approximately 1000 Australians from the end of secondary school into middle age. His research offers an unique insight into how young people navigate a rapidly changing world.

Zen Zeng, PhD
Concert Pianist, Author and Former Diplomatic Interpreter | Crescendo with Zen

Concert pianist, author and former diplomatic interpreter Zen Zeng, PhD is the host of Crescendo Conversations and author of Crescendo: A High-Achiever’s Journey from Perfection to Freedom. Drawing on training in classical music and flamenco, she explores how attention, interpretation and improvisation deepen human connection, and how music can carry traditions across cultures and generations while creating something immediate, embodied and alive in the moment.

Professor Anthony Hannan
Head of the Epigenetics and Neural Plasticity Laboratory | Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health

Professor Anthony Hannan is Head of the Epigenetics and Neural Plasticity Group at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health. His research explores how our environments and experiences shape the brain, revealing the powerful relationship between our genes and the world around us. His pioneering work offers a fascinating perspective on how the things we experience offline can influence brain health, behaviour and our capacity to adapt.

Ritsuko Greenwood
Tea Teacher, Chadô Urasenke Melbourne Association

Ritsuko Greenwood is a Melbourne-based teacher of Japanese Chadô, meaning “the Way of Tea.” Originally from Japan, she has practised for more than fifty years, sharing the principles of harmony, respect, purity and tranquillity through the ritual of tea. Her practice invites people to slow down, pay attention and reconnect with the present moment and one another.

Featured Performers:

Richard Tedesco
Musician, Arte Kanela Flamenco

Richard Tedesco is a Melbourne-based flamenco guitarist, composer and educator who has shaped contemporary flamenco in Australia for more than thirty years. As Musical Director of Arte Kanela Flamenco, he has toured nationally and internationally, including with The Cat Empire and Australian symphony orchestras. His work explores flamenco as a living art form, shaped by rhythm, emotion and human connection.

Kevin Watts
Analogue DJ

DJing since 1999, Kevin Watts is one of Melbourne’s most experienced and versatile open-format DJs. He has performed alongside some of Australia’s biggest names, including Vanessa Amorosi and INXS. Internationally, he has supported artists including Prince and Salt-N-Pepa. Renowned for his instinctive music selection and ability to read a crowd, Kevin creates live sets shaped by the energy in the room and the people moving through it.

For more than 15 years, TEDxMelbourne has brought people together around ideas worth exploring. Led by Head of Curation Jon Yeo and powered by a dedicated team of volunteers and collaborators, we create spaces for bold thinking, fresh perspectives and meaningful conversation. Our events are shaped by the people in the room: curious minds, generous thinkers and a community open to seeing the world differently. TEDxMelbourne is where ideas meet people, and conversations continue long after the stage lights go down.

General Admission: $190
First Release ticket price: $150 - Available for a limited time only!

Social script provided to ticket purchasers.