Introduction

I N T R O D U C T I O N

How did we get here ?

We live in a society, built on a patriarchal hierarchy where socio-economic stance is and has been the most valued commodity of the western world. It is a space where it seems less important for people to know who they are, or to value connectedness with and within spaces, than to know where they are within the status-quo, creating inauthentic spaces and place-making. Capitalism and consumer-centric lifestyles have historically resulted in socio-cultural, sociopolitical and environmental injustices-such as poverty, homelessness, racism, domestic violence, intergenerational trauma and climate change. Our global and local experiences of connectedness have “been created in part, by globalisation, but it is globalisation, which is driven by a patriarchal society and capitalism.”5 This ideology is focused on objects; personal wealth over experiences of wellness and health. These norms (socio-cultural/political/economic and environmental) have created binary divisions between our ecologies, human and environmental (living and nonliving), resulting in spaces of exclusion, locally and globally. “When binary oppositions become the focus, a universal societal view becomes inauthentic and inequitable. Diverse ideals, values and people, identifying outside the binary pairs, or deemed inferior within the binary pair, are not considered or acknowledged in terms of their needs and consequently are marginalised”6 by society and community spaces. This exclusion is the dis-ease of an engineered society.

Whilst Australia is geographically distant from the rest of the world, the impacts of societal and environmental neglect, alongside the COVID-19 pandemic are mirrored in our own national ecology; the desecration of First Nations people and Country, as a direct result of colonisation. The stories of disillusion and experiences of trauma and generational suffering for the marginalised of our communities and of Country. Aboriginal people of Australia, the custodians of Country, the Wiradjuri Nation and the Mowgee people of Mudgee, alongside Country itself, have suffered atrocious acts of violence, desecration and torment at the hands of a patriarchal society. For First Nations People, the long term impacts of this treatment, (these truths) are present today in, high rates of incarceration, child removals, youth detention, poverty, drug and alcohol addiction and domestic violence. For our environment, for Country, the devastation is evidenced in the ecological responses of climate change and extreme weather markers.

On reflection, we are reminded that sovereignty has never been ceded. The Uluru Statement from the Heart (2017)7, is a transformative, urgent call to all Australian people, for the recognition, voice, treaty and truth of Aboriginal Peoples. It distinguishes three extremely important proposals, which

have been previously noted in historical artefacts8 and which are not too much to ask: 1. A First Nations Voice enshrined in the constitution 2. A Makarrata9 Commission and 3. A process of truth telling.

It is intended that these proposals will see future reforms of treaty and truth and constitutional rights of First Nations People. Whilst the current federal government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, has recognised the call publicly (May 2022), only time will tell of such resolve. Australian political history has shown on many occasions such calls are met with ‘red tape’, dismissal, ignorance and disregard.10

The Uluru Statement, full of collective spirit, prompts us as people, as Australians, as designers, to engage deeply and listen carefully to First Nations peoples as the true custodians of the land on which we taken. This priority is furthermore highlighted as our world ecology continues to face the conflux of ongoing crises that threaten the very being of all. The Sustainable Development Goals Report 202211 by the United Nations state that, the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is in grave jeopardy due to multiple, cascading and intersecting crises.”12 COVID-19, climate change and conflict dominate the space of now and their impacts, that of our future. “To put the world on track to sustainability will require concerted action on a global scale.”13

Therefore, “the dismantling of the western canon and patriarchal values is essential for the future of our society and environment; our existence.”14 A critical shift in ethics (socio-cultural/political/ economic/environmental) must be grounded in experience over object, as presented in Harry Francis Mallgrave’s, From Object to Experience: The New Culture of Architectural Design. 15 This thinking will be explored through architectural response, as the convergence of fragmented knowledge in the research phase between and with the Aboriginal community and various stakeholder groups identified. Looking forward, protecting the vulnerable and marginalised of our communities, macro and micro is an essential priority. Women and children continue to be at the forefront of socio-cultural inequities and violence.16 “Women and girls experience the greatest impacts of climate change, which amplifies existing gender inequalities and poses unique threats to their livelihoods, health, and safety.”17

Anticipating change is borne from knowledge attainment and is pivotal in all aspects of architectural design, across the arts, science and humanities fields. How will we use past knowledge to anticipate our survival given the benightedness of our western society? Acknowledging, drawing and acting on the wisdom of our First Nations peoples, the keepers of Country, is critical to move us to an informed and considered mindset of stewardship for our sustainable future. Codesign is centric to this project and an initial step toward healing Country and the community of Mudgee. Codesign is a process undertaken throughout and beyond the project to build authentic opportunities for change through shared vision, knowledge and responsibility. The process of codesign with Mudgee Local Aboriginal Land Council is represented in adjacent diagram…

This thesis studio, grounds itself in regional NSW and aims to situate the truth about the injustices and trauma faced by women, throughout time, to dismantle the narrative of His-Story, through The Space In Between; a space of inclusive, relational experiences, which nourish and heal. It is essential that architectural activism is centred through reciprocal relationships with Country. Here, Aboriginal voice, courage, culture and knowledge sharing are asserted and authored, through respect and agency of codesign, and will engender healing through intimate and responsive place-making.

Codesign is a generative process built on shared knowledge and lived experiences. Respectful engagement of critical stakeholders, as equals, is situated as the central nexus for this project, as authentic codesign.