Sci_Burst

Author: Sci_Burst

Sci_Burst is an Australian podcast all about science, popular culture, and entertainment! Were your hosts, Isabel & Ella, two science communicators and sci-fi nerds steering this spaceship into the multiverse of science fun. This podcast is meant for you, no matter your level of expertise - whether you are a practising physicist, a tradesman, or a circus acrobat! Follow us on @Sci_Burst (Instagram, LinkedIn, Mastodon) for updates. You can also get in touch via sciburstpodcast@gmail.com.
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Language: en

Genres: Science, Social Sciences

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S3 E7: Ochrepunk with Matthew Ngamurarri Heffernan
Episode 7
Saturday, 3 January, 2026

Happy New Year friends! To kick off 2026, we bring you a fantastic episode on Indigenous Futurisms, optimism in First Nations storytelling, and 🧡Ochrepunk🧡 with our very special guest, Matthew Ngamurarri Heffernan 🖤💛❤️Matt is a Luritja man, software developer, board member, creative technologist, playwright, poet, and PhD student at The Australian National University’s School of Cybernetics 💻✍️🎭 He is a developer at Indigemoji – a sticker set of 90 emojis representing life, culture and language of Arrernte Country in Central Australia – and creator of The Robot Dog, an intercultural sci-fi play about identity and technology in the future 🤖🐕Press play for a yarn about Matt’s work on ‘The Jedda Test’ (inspired by the famous Bechdel Test, and centred around Indigenous representations in media) and ‘Ochrepunk’, his play The Robot Dog, and the interconnections with Solarpunk ☀️Episode time stamps:0:00 Introduction3:28 Introducing our guest, Matthew Ngamurarri Heffernan!6:08 The Jedda Test and First Nations representation in media24:42 Ochrepunk - what it is and how it relates to Solarpunk40:28 The Robot Dog play48:36 Punk in First Nations music1:01:42 Is cyberpunk negative?1:05:28 Good News Stories1:11:26 Matt’s media recommendationsWatch Matt’s play, The Robot Dog, online (if you’re based in Australia): https://www.mtc.com.au/plays-and-tickets/whats-on/mtc-digital-theatre/the-robot-dog/Want more? Here are some things that we spoke about in this episode that we recommend:-Walking the Clouds: An Anthology of Indigenous Science Fiction (2012) by Grace Dillon-Ambelin Kwaymullina’s Tribe YA book series-Ellen van Neerven’s Water, from the Heat & Light (2014) book-Jedda (1955)-Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)-The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1978)-Radiance (1998)-Crocodile Dundee (1986)-Music by A.B. Original and Warumpi BandGood News Stories:https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/learning-another-language-may-slow-brain-aging-huge-new-study-finds/https://mashable.com/video/mobile-crisis-construction-in-ukraineRecommended by Matt:-The Aboriginal Invention of Television in Central Australia 1982-1986: https://sk.sagepub.com/book/edvol/transmission/chpt/aboriginal-invention-television-central-australia-Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022-present)-Ghost in the Shell (1995)