Capturing ADRC26 through visual storytelling

At the Australian Disaster Resilience Conference 2026 (ADRC26) in August, illustrator Marty from the Sketch Group captured the ideas, conversations, and experiences that shaped the event through a live graphic recording.

Guided by delegate responses to the question, ‘What helps communities not just survive disruption, but thrive?’, Marty worked from the AIDR exhibition stand, incorporating reflections shared on postcards throughout the conference. His illustration captures key themes explored across ADRC26, including disaster resilience, reducing disaster risk and impacts, social connection, diversity and inclusion, and the relationships that help communities thrive.

The graphic recording was also informed by insights from the session ‘Lightning storytelling: Tales from accidental disaster resilience advocates’. Speakers shared how lived experience of disasters and community challenges led them to become unexpected resilience advocates. Through stories of bushfire recovery, community-led preparedness initiatives, multicultural engagement, local leadership, and disaster response coordination, delegates heard how individuals can drive meaningful change in their communities.

Through visual storytelling, Marty distilled the conference's key themes, experiences, and lessons into a single engaging illustration, creating a lasting reflection of the collective knowledge connections shared across ADRC26.