The Big Anxiety

A festival established by The University of New South Wales (UNSW) and organised by the institution of the same name since 2017, the festival brings together artists, scientists, medical professionals and community work professionals to creatively think about new mental health care in the 21st century. It is a one-of-a-kind festival, with a wide-ranging programme that includes discussions on mental illness and the arts, performances and exhibitions of artists' work, VR programmes for suicide prevention, and tools aimed at mental health care. The founder and director of the festival is Professor Jill Bennett of the National Institute for Experimental Arts at UNSW; in 2017, Melbourne-based choreographer Yumi Umiumare participated.
In 2022, the festival will include Hagoromo, a collaboration by artist Ryoko Aoki with Australian sound art ensemble The Amplified Elephants.