Engagement & Collaborative Design

Note: This presentation may contain images of people who may have passed away

Note: This presentation may contain images of people who may have passed away

OUTLINE

1.Acknowledgment

2.Perspectives

3.Context

4.Introduction to the Readings – Context and Connections

6.Themes to Design with Communities

5.Reflections (Similarities/Differences)

7.Challenges and Assumptions

8.Conclusion: Influence and Relevance

Discussion – Sharing our Stories and Active Listening

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

Here, we pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of this campus, the Whadjuk Noongar people. We pay our respects to the Elders past and present and recognise their continued deep connection to Country through ongoing cultural practices, responsibilities and relationships.

We are speaking today as three non-indigenous women from Perth, Western Australia and Melbourne, Victoria.

PERSPECTIVES & POSITIONALITY

Tobeasuccessfulcommunity–engaged practitioner,itisimportanttorecogniseyour ownstoryfirst.Yourrelationshipwithyourself andyourstoryisfundamentaltoyourpractice, andtherefore,yourprojects.

- Lia Pa'apa'a

FOCUS READINGS

• Halsmith, R. 2020. Common Knowledge: Culture Embedded in the Design Process. Foreground7 August 2020, AILA. https://www.foreground.com.au/parks-places/common-knowledge-culturalknowledge/.

• Jackson, Eleanor (2020). The Art of Collaboration (33-38) TheRelationshipIs theProject:WorkingwithCommunities Australia : Brow Books.

• Pa'apa'a, Lia. (2020). Creatively and Culturally Safe Spaces (65-70), The RelationshipIstheProject:WorkingwithCommunities Australia : Brow Books.

GLOBAL AND LOCAL CONTEXT.

Laying the groundwork for community design activism.

COLONISATION

ENVIRONMENTALISM

(1972)

COMMON KNOWLEDGE: CULTURE EMBEDDED IN THE DESIGN PROCESS

1. Rosie Halsmith – Landscape Architect, Lecturer and Design Educator

3. Vanessa Margetts – Landscape Architect and Public Artist

ROSIE HALSMITH

2. Article published in Foreground

THE RELATIONSHIP IS THE PROJECT

4. Jade Lillie Editor – Community Cultural Development Practitioner, Arts Executive, Educator, Writer and Facilitator (image: Digital Direct from Source Sunday Salon https://sundaysalon.blog/2017/04/30/salon-7-jade-lillieartistic-practice-cultural-activism/

5. Jax Jack Brown - Disability and LGBQIA Rights Activist, Writer, Educator and Consultant (image: Digital Image Sourced The-EqualityInstitute-and-Eliza-Allard-photography, https://www.wheelercentre.com/people/jax-jacki-brown/ Accessed 16 September 2023)

6. Kate Larsen – Arts, Cultural and Non Profit Consultant and Writer (image: Digital Direct from Sourced The Centre for Storieshttps://centreforstories.com/events/writing-applications-withkate-larsen/ Credit Ebony-Frost, Accessed 16 September 2023)

7. Cara Kirwood – Head of Indigenous Engagement National Gallery, Cultural Leader and Expert in Indigenous Culture Arts and Policy (Image: Digital Direct Sourced from The Advertiser https://www.adelaidenow.com.au%2Fentertainment%2Farts% 2Fart-of-harmony-in-art-gallery-of-sa-indigenous-board-role, Accessed 16 September 2023)

THE ART OF COLLABORATION

ELEANOR JACKSON

8. Eleanor Jackson – Poet, Artist, Collaborator.

9. The Art of Collaboration – Book Chapter

10. The Relationship is the Project – Book Launch

CREATIVELY & CULTURALLY SAFE SPACES

11. Lia Pa’apa’a – Artist, Community Engaged Practitioner

12. Creatively and Culturally Safe Spaces– Book Chapter

13. The Relationship is the Project

A WAY OF WORKING PROCESS NOT

PRODUCT RELATIONSHIPS

ACCESS AND INCLUSION LOCAL CONTEXT RECIPROCITY

A WAY OF WORKING

“Community engaged practice is not an artform. It is not an add on. It is a way of working – a deep collaboration between practitioners and communities to develop outcomes specific to that relationship time & place.”

- Jade Lillie

THE VALUE IS THE PROCESS

‘’…In the Western way, if you follow a recipe with the correct ingredients you end up with a perfectly adequate loaf of bread…a straight line from A to B. When Indigenous people gather to make bread, it is the jokes and the stories they tell along the way and therelationships they forge that make it taste good; …. suggesting that it is in the curves that moments of human connectedness happen – a wavy rather than straight line from A to B.’’

Alison Page

THE RELATIONSHIP – IT IS A PROCESS

INVITATION RESEARCH

DESIGN DELIVERY

Create vision, concept plan and program via community workshops

Art development

Detailed design

Construction

Cultural exchange Capacity

building

Employment OUTCOMES REFLECTION

KNOW YOURSELF: KNOW YOUR SKILLS: BE RESPONSIBLE: BE FLEXIBLE: FIRST PEOPLE’S FIRST: BE AN ALLY

THE VALUE IS IN THE PROCESS

Source: Walley, R (2023): Kaart Koort Waarnginy

FIRST PEOPLE FIRST - ACCESS & INCLUSION

“ACCESS GETS YOU IN THE DOOR, INCLUSION IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GET THERE,”

– Arts Access Victoria

BE OPEN. CREATE. NEGOTIATE. SAFE SPACE TO SHARE IDEAS. EMBED RECIPRIOCITY . VISIBITY IS POWER. CULTURAL SAFETY

LOCAL CONTEXT

“Local knowledge is essential – and it’s helpful if we have the flexibility to acknowledge this within project structures,”

Vanessa Margetts

RESEARCH THE CONTEXT & THE HISTORY. MAKE THE EFFORT. LISTEN . LEARN . UNDERSTAND BIAS & PRIVILEGE

ART AS THE BRIDGE

14. Town Beach Public Art Interpretation 2021

DEEP LISTENING & CREATE OPPORTUNITIES

WORK TO OVERCOME STRUCTURAL BARRIERS

COLLABORATION BENEFITS FROM MUTUAL WORK

TRUST . LANGUAGE . TIME. AWARENESS . ACKNOWLEDGE POWER DIFFERENCE . SHARE. REFLECT

17. Mudmap Studio Town Beach Public Art Interpretation

SIMILARITES

Successful collaboration in practice Cultural Sensitivity

Selfawareness Trust

Reflection

Inclusivity

DIFFERENCES

Audience. Structure and Content. Examples and Case Studies. Context.

Landscape Architecture

Project Specifics

Process is the work

ASSUMPTIONS

CULTURAL SENSITIVITY

CHALLENGES

COLLABORATION

Cultural action, more than anything else, is required to lay the groundwork for that sustainable future.

- Hawkes J. 2023

INFLUENCE & RELEVANCE TO PRACTICE

18. Moort-ak Waadiny/Wellington Square by The City of Perth

19. Biyla Marlee – School of Indigenous Studies UWA, UDLA 2023

TUTORIAL DISCUSSION

• Individually think of a concept/symbol from your family or tradition or past

• Draw on a sheet of paper how you could interpret this in landscape, or built form?

• Share with One, Share with Group

• After reading the articles, what tools would you use to listen to each other and interpret local context/perspective?

• Share

TUTORIAL DISCUSSION SUMMARY

• When considering design with country, it is important to not only respect tradition and culture, but to also ensure it is appropriately reflected in translation and applies to modern context.

GENERAL REFLECTIONS

• It is important to not to make assumptions, active listening requires clarification and deeper questioning to confirm understanding.

• It is good practice to seek clarification. One example provided is to confirm that you have heard correctly (e.g asking ”isthisaccurate?” )

• Work to understand your own prejudice and bias.

• Own your own mistakes, and don’t project them onto others

• Respect that everyone brings something into the room

• Different tools such as drawing, time for reflections, sharing one on one vs group can help reduce language or literacy barriers

• Respect that those from the place are the ones with the connections to the place. They are the experts, not you.

TUTORIAL DISCUSSION SUMMARY

MEMORIES OF NATURE

Waterfalls

Lush green

Cool weather

Mountains

REFLECTING CULTURES

Western Australian

Japanese

Sri Lanka

Taiwanese

Chinese – Hong Kong

Chinese - Mandarian

Orchards River

Falling Water Small Scale Lingnam Gardens

BUILT FORM

Red Colour

Timber/Bamboo

Waterbridge

FAMILY TABLE

Grandparents

Family sharing food

Dinner

JOURNEYS & PATHWAYS

FEELING

Quiet Peace

Calm Celebration

SPATIAL LAYOUT

Individual Space

Communal Space

Dimensions of a Painting

Neighbours

Views

SPECIES OF PLANTS

Loctus/Pampus

Pines

Ordour

Colour

LANGUAGE & CHARACTERS

ANIMALS

Companions Totems Fences Places

COLOUR

GENERAL NOTES

BACKGROUND

The first reading is By Rosie Halsmith 2020 and is called Common Knowledge: Culture Embedded in the Design Process. The arBcle expresses the importance of local knowledge and examines ways you can maintain cultural wellness and community engagement when designing spaces, in this arBcle it is through the lens of designing a community center.

The next readings (two chapters which come from the same book) are from "The relaBonship is the project: working with communiBes Australia. The book aims to provide tools and pracBcal Bps for those currently working or interested in working with communiBes. Through the collaboraBon of various people's insights the book aims to guide users into how they can improve their engagement with the communiBes they may encounter, and ensure they are seOng up open communicaBon networks.

The first chapter we explore is called The Art of CollaboraBon by Elenoar Jackson

The next is called CreaBvely and Culturally safe spaces by Lia Pa'apa'a

It is important that we acknowledge that our posiBonality and perspecBves are unique to our own contexts and understand that while we can strive to best represent different people and community groups (when they are unable to do so for themselves), we must not assume that our personal understandings are a completely accurate representaBon of theirs.

To be a successful community–engaged prac66oner, it is important to recognise your own story first. Your rela6onship with yourself and your story is fundamental to your prac6ce, and therefore, your projects.

This quote is from one of our texts authors and speaks to the idea of understanding yourself (your own strengths, weaknesses, needs, wants bias, will help guide you to understand other people and relate to the fact that they are both unique and similar to you.

AUTHORS

The first reading is wriUen by Rosie Halsmith, a non-Aboriginal Lecturer at the School of Design UWA. She is a Consultant in landscape architecture and engagement, and she specialises in design with communiBes and communicaBng about design – this passion for educaBon and community engagement is evident in her arBcle which outlines the process of the cultural Wellness Studio by MudMap Studio in Broome.

The Director of the studio, Vanessa MargeUes is recognised as an award winning and successfully pracBBoner, leading complex cultural projects that have meaningful outcomes for First NaBons people and the broader community. Vanessa believes that good design is about deep listening, open sharing and seeking opportuniBes for truth telling and knowledge exchange within a landscape. For this brief she made sure to ask people what they wanted first and then design the brief accordingly, rather than alter the brief to include their needs a_er the fact.

Both the second and third readings come from the book ‘ the relaBonship is the project’, which covers and addresses criBcal issues regarding working in and with communiBes as a creaBve process. The book that stresses the importance of accurate representaBon and inclusion, as such it was important that the book itself was pracBcing what it was preaching, and striving to include a variety of different voices.

Jade Lillie: is a community cultural development pracBBoner, arts execuBve, educator and facilitator. She has developed her pracBce and philosophy around the belief that arts and cultural development are tools for social and systemic change.

Jax Jack Brown: is a disability and LGBTQIA+ rights acBvist, writer, educator and consultant. They have been recognised with a Medal of the Order of Australia. Jax views disability as a socio-poliBcal issue of intersecBonal equality, access, and human rights.

Kate Larsen: is a writer, arts and cultural consultant. Her work has been published and commissioned across various magazines, anthologies and arts organisaBons across Australia, Asia and the UK.

Cara Kirkwood: is a cultural leader and expert in Indigenous culture and arts policy. She has worked extensively as an advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, art and culture. Cara become the first, First NaBons person appointed to the board of the Art Gallery of South Australia and awarded a Churchill Fellowship.

The second reading is wriUen by Eleanor Jackson is a Filipino Australian poet, performer, arts producer and community radio broadcaster. She is commiUed to the development of events and experiences that showcase the diversity of both poeBc language of writers and their audiences.

She is currently Chair of Peril Magazine, an online magazine commiUed to celebraBng Asian Australian arts and culture. This short essay within The RelaBonship is the Project, explores the concept of collaboraBon as a creaBve process. she discusses and poses quesBons that are important to consider when collaboraBng with others, parBcularly in an arts seOng, and with community.

The third reading advocates for thoughgul and respecgul engagement with communiBes to ensure culturally and creaBvely safe spaces for all parBcipants. The author Lia Pa’apa’a is an arBst, CreaBve Producer, educator, and Community Arts Cultural Development pracBBoner who delivers community empowered mulB-argorm projects across regional and remote Australia. She is Samoan and from the Luiseño naBon of Southern California. Lia delivers dynamic programming across cultural fesBvals and projects that focus on community empowerment, capacity building, and intergeneraBonal exchange. She explores cooking, design, weaving and cra_ as a creaBve and provides innovaBve plagorms for communiBes to tell their stories.

CONTEXT

The effects of colonisaBon and environmentalism have led to changing societal values, laying the foundaBon and re-awakining both social and ecological acBvism through design. This shi_ changed the design process – where it has become more process and community driven rather than aestheBcally driven.

In the context of WA, specific example of this can be traced to George Seddon's 'Sense of Place,’ which underscores the importance of preserving the disBncBveness of the local environment and the value of local knowledge. The recogniBon of First NaBons knowledge and history plays a significant role - The laws and acts installed over Bme have led to a shi_ in the design field - encouraging greater engagement with Indigenous communiBes, respect for cultural heritage and a commitment to ethical design pracBces.

THEMES

The key themes of the readings are summarized as follows:

• Working with communiBes – means a different way of working – whereby process – the journey is the most important part of a project and not the staBc outcome of the product. It is a process that encompasses relaBonships, access and inclusion, local context and reciprocity.

• It is pracBce, not an argorm, or an add on. It is.a collaboraBon that is specific to that relaBonship, that Bme and that place.

• Reciprocity is about more than just a transacBon, it is also the stories and connectedness. It is not a straight line from A to B. Tyson Yunkaporta Sand Talk Quote: “It is both a map and a kind of compass, but it is not aligned with magne6c north. In the old way, direc6on is dynamic and based on seasonal solar movement from your point of view where and when you are standing, walking or camping at any any given moment. Time and place are usually the same word in Aboriginal languages – the two are indivisible”

• The Process involved – invitaBon, research, design (including creaBng the vision, concept plan and program using workshops and other tools), delivery, outcomes (important to consider cultural exchange, capacity building and employment/economic benefit), reflecBon.

• “Local knowledge is essenBal – and it’s helpful if we have the flexibility to acknowledge this within project structures,” says MargeUs. Here, the role of community is elevated, with contributors righgully recognised as experts on their place. ‘community–engaged pracBce is social, cultural and poliBcal’

• “We come to know the places because we know it’s stories…*’’ and in order to hear these stories, we have to listen to those that tell them. *(PoUeiger, M and Purinton, J. Landscape NarraBves)

• Art as the bridge to bringing knowledge and stories into a tangible form

• Deep listening and creaBng space and opportuniBes are key ingredients.

• Structural barriers must be recognized, and efforts made in design of process to overcome them

• CollaboraBon benefits from mutual work to create trust, share language, make the Bme, acknowledge the power difference, share and reflect together.

SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES

All three texts cover in various forms – what it means to be a good collaborator – how to successfully work with community – and steps that need to be taken and considered when working with others.

Throughout all the texts they cover the importance of:

• Trust: communicaBon and truthfulness are key - a collaboraBon will fail without the necessary trust between parBes.

• Cultural sensiBvity & Inclusivity: Recognising and respecBng diverse cultural experiences and knowledge is key to building trust and creaBng environments that genuinely resonate with the communiBes they serve.

• ReflecBon & Self-awareness: Recognise your own biases - these can impact the success of a project. PracBBoners are encouraged to reflect on their roles within projects, their strengths, and weaknesses, and to be honest about their abiliBes.

The differences are three-fold in terms of The Audience – the first targeBng the Landscape Architecture PracBce, the others broader engagement pracBBoners. The examples/ case study – the first in tradiBonal communiBes in the north of Western Australia, the laUer more urban with art as the focus

And the content – with the first more about the project and specifics, the second about how and the third about the why in terms of safety and inclusion and reciprocity.

Even though there are obvious differences, reading these essays together strengthens and offers a more comprehensive understanding of community engagement.

Reading 3 links nicely to reading one, emphasizing cultural awareness. (the why)

Reading 2 Bes them all together with more general quesBons and reflecBons on the process, (the How) while reading 1 pulls them all together by reflecBng on the specifics of our discipline, Landscape Architecture (Architecture) (the what)

ASSUMPTIONS

AssumpIon of Inclusivity: The readings assume that community engagement and collaboraBon inherently lead to more inclusive and culturally sensiBve outcomes. However, achieving true inclusivity can be challenging, and it will require ongoing effort and adaptaBon. Don't assume you are being inclusive just because you feel like you are.

AssumpIon of Cultural SensiIvity: The readings assume that designers and pracBBoners are moBvated to be culturally sensiBve and respecgul of local knowledge. However, not all pracBBoners have this awareness, and it may require educaBon and training.

CHALLENGES

CollaboraIon: The readings emphasise the benefits of collaboraBon in pracBce – collaboraBon can be challenging due to power dynamics, conflicBng interests, and communicaBon barriers.

Cultural Competency: Achieving cultural competency – avoiding tokenism - o_en requires ongoing educaBon, self-awareness, and humility. The is a lot of poliBcal nuances when engaging with First NaBons people - Care must be taken to understand poliBcs and hierarchy. TradiBonal owners who speak for country/heritage may have different perspecBves to the agencies that represent them, and the broader Aboriginal community may not be able to speak for Country, or gender specific sites.

Resource Constraints: The readings discuss the importance of community engagement and collaboraBon but It can be challenging to allocate sufficient Bme and budget for extensive community involvement.

CONCLUSION

Readings highlight the importance of the collaborate process and the ongoing reciprocity over the final outcome of a project.

To be truly valuable, and meaningful to the locaBon and the community LA and A serves, – the readings outline that it is essenBal to incorporate and prioriBse principles such as community engagement – cultural sensiBvity/exchange– and collaboraBon in pracBce.

In doing so – a project goes beyond a mere physical product and evolves into something with mulBple dimensions and ongoing significance – a dynamic, meaningful and integral part of the community and place. - a valuable framework that we can all take away from the readings and apply to our own pracBce.

REFERENCES

Halsmith, Rosie. “Common Knowledge: Culture Embedded in the Design Process.” Foreground, 7 Aug. 2020, www.foreground.com.au/parksplaces/common-knowledge-cultural-knowledge/. Accessed 24 Aug. 2023.

Hawkes, J. The Fourth Pillar of Sustainability Culture’s Essential Role in Public Planning. 2021.

Jackson, Eleanor. The Art of Collaboration. 8 Feb. 2020, therelationshipistheproject.com/2020/02/20/the-relationship-is-the-project-2/. Accessed 18 Aug. 2022.

Lillie, Jade, et al. The Relationship Is the Project : Working with Communities. Melbourne, Brow Books, 2020.

Mcharg, I L. Design with Nature. New York, John Wiley, 1995.

Pa'apa'a, Lia. Creatively and Culturally Safe Spaces (65-70), The Relationship Is the Project : Working with Communities, Brow Book, 2020.

Page, Alison, Paul Memmott, and Margo Neale. Design: Building on Country, Port Melbourne, VIC: Thames and Hudson, 2021.

Potteiger, M., and J. Purinton. Landscape Narratives: Design Practices for Telling Stories, Wiley, 1998. https://books.google.com.au/books?id=Z_MunOqKJ_UC.

Walley, Dr Richard. “DevelopmentWA - Shaping Our State’s FutureAboriginal Engagement.” DevelopmentWA - Shaping Our State’s Future (Kaart Koort Waarniginy), June 2016, developmentwa.com.au/documents/publications/aboriginal-engagement. Accessed 18 Aug. 2023.

Yunkaporta, T SandTalkText Publishing, Melbourne Australia, 2019

IMAGE CITATIONS

1. Rossie Halsmith – Landscape Architect , Lecturer and Design Educator, Digital Direct from Source UWA Research Repository https://research-repository.uwa.edu.au/en/persons/rosie-halsmith (Accessed 16 September 2023

2. Article in Foreground – Screenshot from https://www.foreground.com.au/parks-places/common-knowledge-culturalknowledge/ Accessed 1 October 2023.

3. Vanessa Margetts – Landscape Architect and Public Artist, Direct from Source: Mudmap Studio https://www.mudmapstudio.com/about Accessed 16 September 2023

4. Jade Lillie Editor – Community Cultural Development Practitioner, Arts Executive, Educator, Writer and Facilitator (image: Digital Direct from Source Sunday Salon https://sundaysalon.blog/2017/04/30/salon-7-jade-lillie-artisticpractice-cultural-activism/

5. Jax Jack Brown - Disability and LGBQIA Rights Activist, Writer, Educator and Consultant (image: Digital Image Sourced The-Equality-Institute-and-Eliza-Allard-photography, https://www.wheelercentre.com/people/jax-jacki-brown/ Accessed 16 September 2023)

6. Kate Larsen – Arts, Cultural and Non Profit Consultant and Writer (image: Digital Direct from Sourced The Centre for Stories - https://centreforstories.com/events/writing-applications-with-kate-larsen/ Credit Ebony-Frost, Accessed 16 September 2023)

7. Cara Kirwood – Head of Indigenous Engagement National Gallery, Cultural Leader and Expert in Indigenous Culture Arts and Policy (Image: Digital Direct Sourced from The Advertiser https://content.api.news/v3/images/bin/151356875eebe8d0281c4fb4b35f7369 Accessed 16 September 2023)

8. Eleanor Jackson, Poet, Artist, Collaborator. (image: Digital Image sourced: Arts Front, https://artsfront.com/member/eleanor-jackson:8682)

9. The Art of Collaboration Book Chapter – Authors own image.

10. Launch of Relationship is the Project (image: digital image sourced: https://browbooks.com/bbnews/2020/1/31/therelationship-is-the-project-out-today)

11. Lia Pa’apa’a – Mother, Artist, Facilitator, Public Speaker, Creative Producer. Direct from Source: Lia Pa’apa’a https://liapaapaa.com Accessed 1 OctoberOvtober 2023

12. Creatively and Culturally Safe Spaces Book Chapter – Authors own image.

13. Launch of Relationship is the Project (image: digital image sourced: https://browbooks.com/bbnews/2020/1/31/therelationship-is-the-project-out-today)

14. Mudmap Studio 2021, Town Beach Public Art Interpretation, from https://www.mudmapstudio.com/ Credit Shire of Broome, accessed 8 August 2023

15. Mudmap Studio 2021, Town Beach Public Art Interpretation, from https://www.mudmapstudio.com/the-calling-overnagula Credit Vanessa Margetts accessed 17 September 2023

16. Mudmap Studio 2021, Engagement, from https://www.mudmapstudio.com/the-calling-over-nagula Credit Vanessa Margetts accessed 17 September 2023

17. Mudmap Studio 2021, Town Beach Public Art Interpretation, Digital Image Director from Source https://www.mudmapstudio.com/town-beach-community-art-interpretation Credit Vanessa Margetts accessed 17 September 2023

18. UDLA Bilya Marlee https://www.udla.com.au/latest/practice-news-two-projects-acknowledged-at-aila-wa-awardsn8fhs

19. AILA Moort-ak Waadiny/Wellington Square by City of Perth https://landscapeaustralia.com/articles/2022-nationallandscape-architecture-awards-landscape-architecture-award-for-parks-2/