Welcome to Country

Personal Reflection

Semester one 2021 has been the single largest learning experience of my academic career, and most definitely the single hardest semester I have completed to date. Faced with many challenges along the way, and given the current environment, I am appreciative and grateful to have completed this unit working alongside aboriginal elder Uncle Leonard Clarke to help realise his vision for the Framlingham community. This semester has been possible due to our studio leaders, Christine Phillips and Stasinos Mantzis; their help and guidance couldn’t be any more appreciated. In addition, I am incredibly happy to have worked beside the friendliest and most supportive group of students. This semester has helped me develop as an individual while being part of a group aiming to push the boundaries and see what can be achieved as a collective.

This portfolio represents the collective work completed during the semester, from first design iterations, development, and outcomes to the finalised vision; Most importantly, this portfolio represents one of the many visions created by our studio cohort for Uncle Leonard Clarke. It has been an absolute honour and privilege to work beside Uncle Leonard Clarke to share his knowledge and teachings, and then incorporate them into real-world outcomes.

About The Project

Aboriginal elder Uncle Leonard Clarke has a vision, a vision that is Ignited by the ongoing injustices against Aboriginal nations, the memory of his late daughter, and a strong deep-seated desire to keep the Indigenous youth out of incarceration. His vision is for the land on which he grew up on, to host a music and performance venue with a cultural and life education centre. This vision is to become the foundation for the Shara Clarke Cultural and Education Centre. Embedded on the traditional lands of the Kirrae Whurrong people of the Gunditjmara nation, lies our proposal for The Shara Clarke Cultural and Educational Centre. Inspired by the strong symbiotic relationship between the first nations’ people and their connection to country, the Shara Clarke Cultural and Education Centre attempts to extend the country and connection between its inhabitants and their ancestor lands. The design intends to help facilitate a strong bond and relationship between the land, environment, and cultural knowledge for all that utilise the centre.