Exhibition Opening-Flapper said: Exploring the Future of Conversational AI

An event to celebrate the opening of the exhibition Flapper sAId: Exploring the Future of Conversational AI.

Join us to celebrate the launch of Flapper said: Exploring the Future of Conversational AI, a new multidisciplinary exhibition that investigates how machines speak, and how we respond.

This event will include refreshments and an opportunity to explore the exhibition, interact with the conversational Artificial Intelligence Les ‘Flapper’ Hughes, and hear from the exhibition curator and researchers who developed the Flapper persona.

More about Flapper said

Flapper is a conversational AI based on Les Hughes (1884-1962), the legendary Collingwood Football Club player (1908–1922), affectionately nicknamed 'Flapper' for his animated presence on the sports field and later a celebrated Melbourne hotel publican.

In this exhibition, Flapper is brought into the present, inviting visitors into direct conversation and responding in real time with a mix of thoughtful observations, sharp wit and unexpected depth. Equal parts historian, commentator and comedian, he draws from history, cultural references and computational logic. His answers are informed by online resources alongside anecdotal and factual data specifically coded to reflect what the real Les Hughes might say today.

Emerging from research by Dr Russell Kennedy (School of Communication and Creative Arts and Deakin Motion Lab), Flapper Said explores what AI says and how and why it speaks, raising important questions about authorship, emotion, bias, and the desire for machines that understand us.

This exhibition will be on display at the Burwood Library Exhibition Space until 7 June 2026.

Supported by Collingwood Football Club Archives