NAS Art Forum | Dr Andrew Frost

Any World But This One: Worldbuilding in Science Fiction and Contemporary Art

Exploring connections between cultural forms can reveal surprising parallels. Over the past decade, artists worldwide have increasingly drawn from science fiction to generate ideas, reframe contexts, and rethink creativity. One key technique borrowed from sci-fi is worldbuilding – the imaginative reconfiguration of social relationships and speculation on alternative presents and futures. This talk examines worldbuilding as a creative strategy, highlighting examples from my own recent work and artists from diverse backgrounds.

Dr Andrew Frost

Dr Andrew Frost is a writer, lecturer, and digital content creator. His PhD explored connections between contemporary art and science fiction. He edited The Art Life (2004 – 2020) and was Guardian Australia​’s art critic (2013 – 2022). He has lectured at NAS, UNSW Art & Design, and Macquarie University. Since 2020, he has written and illustrated graphic fiction, including End of Days (2022), Among Friends (2023), and The Islander (2024). His video works include The Masked Men of Limanora (2025) and Mysteries of the Inky Rocks (2024). Find his work on YouTube and Instagram (@sci.fictional) and at sci​encefic​tion​al​.net.

Art Forum

The NAS Art Forum is a weekly public lecture intended to enrich the school community with contributions by guest speakers on a broad range of subjects considered to be of interest to NAS staff, students and the public.

Previous speakers have included notable art industry professionals on subjects covering visual arts, cultural theory and humanities.

NAS Forum lectures are held Wednesday lunchtime from 12.45 – 1.30pm during teaching weeks.