Herring Island Indigenous Gallery Design a small gallery space including reception bathrooms and seating area for Herring Island.
In 1770 Lieutenant James Cook claimed the East coast of Australia and the destruction of Indigenous Australians fifty thousand year old way of life began. Within weeks of the first arrival a wave of European diseases began to spread across the continent, starvation was rife and murder of indigenous peoples who did not comply with European desires was not uncommon. Indigenous Australians native to where Melbourne is located now (called the Warrundjeri people) were especially hard hit by this epidemic with populations decreasing around 80%.
The intention of this space is tell the story of Australia’s colonisation not only through the artwork presented inside the Arts Centre but also through the building. The site, Herring Island, is the perfect
place for this. It is a sanctuary in urban Melbourne where people can truly feel as though they are in the Australian bushlands.