For the entirety of the period architecture and design have been part of university curriculums, Indigenous culture and heritage, First Nations perspectives and understandings of Country have been largely absent—or if present viewed through an anthropological lens rather than as a living culture. In recent times it has become clear this is not good enough. Yet with already packed curriculums where do we start? This yarn brings together three academics and practitioners to share their experiences...
May 25, 2022•1 hr 55 min
Older women’s lived experience of different housing types is not well understood or documented. How do we design housing for older women at risk of homelessness? What do these women need to make a place they can call home? In the coming years, Victoria’s Big Housing Build will deliver thousands of homes for vulnerable Victorians. It is important that we get this right. Recent research by architects Samantha Donnelly and Sophie Dyring evaluated four different housing types provided to women over ...
May 19, 2022•1 hr 10 min
Listen to a conversation where we unpacked a group of images to expose the covert narratives of colonialism and slow violence embedded in extractivism. Focused on coal mining in Australia, but also looking into instances in the UK, South Africa and the Americas, we cross-examined visual narratives that expand our understanding of coal mining beyond its economic and environmental repercussions — and well into its social, political and cultural implications. This talk forms part of a two part seri...
May 19, 2022•58 min
This podcast expands existing knowledge on the environmental impact of resource extraction, listen as they examine the spatial and scalar implications of lithium mining. Presenting alternatives to dominant extractivist socio-political narratives, they explored design’s value regarding the formulation of sustainable post-carbon futures. The Global Extraction Observatory (GEO) is a research collective led by Dr Eduardo Kairuz and Dr Sam Spurr exploring how new forms of visual and spatial practice ...
May 19, 2022•41 min
Too often, through expediency, ignorance or habit, the design profession shapes environments to suit the needs and experience of an ‘average’ human being. However, designing for ‘average’ results in average design that meets the needs of some, while a diversity of people can be made to feel uncomfortable or unwelcome in a place. To create the space for different approaches to how we plan and design our cities, we must start by making the time to understand the lived experience of the city from m...
May 19, 2022•53 min
The world has changed. What imprint has the unpredictable, sometimes unfathomable, global pandemic left on who we are as ‘the public’? Over the course of their prolific careers, our panel members have each, in different ways, been tasked with understanding who ‘the public’ is, and how place and space can respond to public needs and wants. Listen as as we explore what we can see and understand from the meaning of ‘public’ today—and muse on its possible futures in the design of our civic places an...
May 19, 2022•56 min
Listen to experience masterplanners FreeState and guests have a conversation around the critical nature of co-design in the creation of better places. How does using a narrative structure help to define clear user journeys in public places and encourage transdisciplinary practices? Can it provide a catalyst for participatory programs and engender genuine diversity and inclusion?
May 19, 2022•1 hr 16 min
This podcast is a conclusion of ‘The Excellent City Series’ hosted by the City of Melbourne. The discussion reflects on the key themes explored in the series: · Inclusivity and intersectionality (Designing Equity) · Melbourne as an Aboriginal place (Design Yarning) · Urban resilience in the context of the climate and biodiversity emergency (Designing Resilience) An interdisciplinary panel discussion will unpack the role of designers, planners, government and thought leaders in influencing a grea...
May 19, 2022•1 hr 19 min
Hear the story of how five Melbourne female creatives have generated a studio space—churning out some of Melbourne’s most well-known goodies. The panel discussion features the duo behind SISTER Studios, the pair responsible for Blazed Wax, the creator of Hello Sisi, Textile Designer Megan McNeill, and the brains behind Kannava Jewels will explore the importance of collaboration within their community. Each at the helm of their own creative label, the group of friends and entrepreneurs chat about...
May 19, 2022•1 hr 2 min
Join Parlour for a special Seasonal Salon exploring what it means to make homes for others. How do we, collectively, ensure that everyone has a home? What roles can different professions play in preventing homelessness and supporting women in accessing and making homes? What can we learn from each other, and how can we contribute? The Salons are informal casual conversations on the topics that matter. Hear from architect Eloise Atkinson and community housing manager Charlotte Dillon as they shar...
May 12, 2022•1 hr 2 min
Co-hosted by Readings, hear Omar Musa discuss his work and gift us a performance to take you into the moment. Omar Musa, a Malaysian-Australian rapper, poet and author is one of Australia’s most important young voices. In his writing and music he confronts the dark realities of Australian history and culture. His latest release, Killernova, is a collection of poetry and wood cuts that burns blindingly bright. With equal parts swagger, humour and vulnerability, Musa charts a journey through the c...
May 12, 2022•1 hr 1 min
How do we design to survive? (Responding to a climate and biodiversity emergency) In 2019, The City of Melbourne declared a climate and biodiversity emergency. The Declaration recognises that climate change and mass species extinction pose serious risks to the people of Melbourne and Australia and should be treated as an emergency. How does the built environment of our city need to change to help us survive this emergency through hotter days, bushfire smoke, more intense storms and flooding as w...
May 10, 2022•1 hr 10 min
How do we design for intersectionality? Whether we are aware or not, the fundamental principles that shape our city are based on a preconceived idea of the ‘average’ person. Our experience of cities is influenced by gender, ethnicity, physical ability, sexual orientation, age, and many other factors. By celebrating these unique experiences, we can shape our cities to allow everyone to thrive. Hear a panel discussion addressing the importance of inclusivity and intersectionality in achieving Desi...
May 10, 2022•49 min
Age-Friendly Design is a concept that’s increasingly being considered and applied across councils and cities both in Australia and internationally. A conversation that brings together multiple views, to interrogate whether AFD allows for expansion beyond older-age considerations to an all-age inclusive approach to urban design. Curated by Young Seniors + Co, the invited speakers explore how the mixed needs of older-aged citizens overlap with the needs of other groups in our community.
May 10, 2022•1 hr 26 min
In Australia, there is a growing interest in a collaborative design process that engages First Nations communities, Elders, consultants and designers. With the continued momentum of Indigenous engagement through design and beyond, how are we representing and acknowledging Indigenous voices in architectural projects after completion, in publications and in awards programs? This discussion explores the progressive inclusivity of Indigenous voices across these two public platforms that promote and ...
May 04, 2022•1 hr 27 min
The built environment industry is exploring how Country, community and culture can be embedded into their project outcomes. It is imperative that we first listen to Traditional Custodians and knowledge holders to inform how we plan with Country, which forms the basis of this discussion. MPavilion’s fifth annual BLAKitecture forum centralises Indigenous voices in conversations about architecture, the representation of histories, and the present and future states of our built environments. BLAKite...
May 04, 2022•1 hr 53 min
MTalks—BLAKitecture: A Bid for Transparency EOIs, RFTs and the complexities of bid writing are a challenge within themselves. In this context, how do we also then appropriately address Indigenous engagement and Indigenous knowledge with limited time, resources and probity requirements? This yarn brought together built environment practitioners and Indigenous engagement specialists to share their experience with overcoming these inherent challenges to explore the systemic changes required to crea...
May 04, 2022•1 hr 52 min
Learning environments are supposed to be safe spaces in which students can feel they are uninhibited to ask anything and hopefully achieve a level of cultural competency previous generations of architects could only dream of. But, are you curious about how and why Indigenising the curriculum sometimes feels like there are persistent questions you never get to ask? This discussion was an open invitation to ask questions you’ve been too afraid to ask. MPavilion’s fifth annual BLAKitecture forum ai...
May 03, 2022•2 hr 4 min
How do we see Melbourne as an Aboriginal place? This informal, open conversation supports individual and collective learning, and knowledge sharing to progress awareness and capacity to support Reconciliation. The City of Melbourne’s Design Excellence Program reinforces the city’s commitment to enhancing the function, liveability, sustainability and public contribution of our buildings and urban spaces. The Excellent City Series explores several key themes that shape Design Excellence in Melbour...
Apr 22, 2022•1 hr 36 min
What might the world be like if poets wrote our building and planning regulations? What if regulations were written by other writers too, not just poets, but also storytellers, songwriters, screenwriters, artists, choreographers, and philosophers? The things governing bodies choose to regulate—and the methods they use to evaluate compliance—tell a story about what we, as a society, collectively value. But as the space between regulatory compliance and design intention collapses under the weight ...
Apr 22, 2022•1 hr 6 min
Design has the unique ability to dignify and make people feel valued, respected, honoured and seen. Architects and designers are expanding their ranks to serve not only the privileged few but the general public. Architecture is no longer a matter of only form, but rather, a matter of what the projects enable. This panel conversation discusses and celebrates the experiences and pro-bono work done by architects with the communities affected by natural disasters over the last few years. Hear about ...
Apr 22, 2022•1 hr 17 min
From the pressure to appear in certain ways, to the power of resisting expectations through appearance, beauty is political. This panel looks at the politics of beauty when it comes to gender, sexuality, race, disability and other facets of identity. How should we think about different beauty practices that happen in the salon – like hair removal, manicures, and facials – from a critical perspective? Can the salon be a space for joy as well as political resistance?
Apr 22, 2022•1 hr 4 min
From hyper masculine barbershops to super femininised nail bars, the space of the salon can be highly gendered. Salons are also often assumed to be associated with normative beauty expectations tied up with class, race and ability. How can the space of the salon be designed to challenge or change these expectations, and to make space for a diverse range of experiences and expressions? This panel considers the salon as a space where design can play an important role in changing how we think about...
Apr 22, 2022•59 min
Future Practice (written by Rory Hyde) revealed alternative methods of design practice at the edge of architecture. Nine years since it's publication, it is even more important that we empower emerging designers to have a more expansive approach to their practice. Challenges within today's society demand we confront conventional practice with collaboration—and become more adaptable for an uncertain future. Hear about experiences outside traditional practice with a line-up of esteemed guests in a...
Apr 22, 2022•1 hr 48 min
When what is equal and what is just can often differ, can architects design to honour the rights of all humans, while also hold space for the non-human rights of waterways and animals alike? Hear from a panel of Australian Institute of Architects industry thought leaders, who discuss and unpack what design excellence within placemaking for future generations looks like when designing for the moral codes of today—and the changing emotional landscapes of tomorrow. Yesterday, architects designed fo...
Apr 22, 2022•58 min
A dancethropological exploration of trends. The interwoven relationship between club counter culture and its drip fed influence into the mainstream could be credited as one of the biggest IP robberies of all time. From the moment this undercurrent emerged, it has continued to flow like an undammed, unpaid and uncredited natural resource for those that need to sell, own & name things. Listen to a light hearted and well lived discussion about where club trends come from—and how they make their...
Apr 22, 2022•1 hr 9 min
Listen to six artists as they discuss the processes in procuring, and incorporating under-utilised materials in their practice. The session focuses on how the artist—as creator and consumer—actively refuses to create wasteful by-products in their practice and where possible, uses discarded waste products and manufacturing by-products. This talk was presented in conjunction with Craft Victoria's Melbourne Design Week 2022 exhibition 'Alternative Provisions'. Showing from Feb 10-March 26. This eve...
Apr 22, 2022•58 min
Skateboarding has long had a reputation for being a rebellious sub-culture—but it's something much more meaningful than that. The skateboarding community continues to prove that this little wooden toy on wheels can be a force for good. Listen as we explore the social impact of skateboarding—as we chat to a diverse range of skate panellists, each doing their bit to make the world a better place, one kick-push at a time. This event was part of Melbourne Design Week 2022.
Apr 22, 2022•1 hr 7 min
‘Future Homes’ is a government initiative to facilitate better density development in the suburbs. The first stage of the project achieves this through readily available, high-quality apartment plans paired with a streamlined planning process. The ‘Future Homes design competition’ was launched at MPavilion in February 2020. Two years later, we invite you to come along and see the design evolution of the four winning schemes— from competition ideas to viable apartment developments for the suburbs...
Apr 22, 2022•1 hr 11 min
This panel discussion works towards building the capacity of built environment designers to recognise their duty-bearer and accountability status as controllers of built environment design, however un-empowered they may feel. Rather than exploring the right of access to design expertise, ‘Disability, Human Rights, and the Built Environment’ explores the implications of (disability)human rights principles on designers' mindsets and production.
Apr 22, 2022•1 hr 23 min
