MPavilion

How might we rethink design and (re)construction in bushfire affected places? How can we do this through participation, interdisciplinarity and local cultural knowledge?

This conversation brings together insights from an ongoing collaboration between Justin Leonard (CSIRO), Daniel Miller (Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation) and Christy Bryar Architect along with Nikhila Madabhushi, a practising architect who is currently leading research and teaching on this complex topic within the Monash Innovation Fellowship.

The speakers unpack the wicked problems posed by the interface between built and natural environments with bushfires, cross-sectoral thinking towards adaptive design and reconstruction during the “pyrocene” and how local and traditional knowledge can be leveraged for “community-led” socio-technical approaches to bushfire preparedness and recovery.

The years continue on, but has the conversation?

This yarn between Maori and Aboriginal Australian built environment practitioners reflects on how—or if—the 'Indigenous Architecture' conversation has changed in recent years, and considers what conversations need to happen now, and in the future.

MPavilion’s fourth annual BLAKitecture forum brings together Indigenous built environment practitioners on the Yaluk-ut Weelam land of the Boon Wurrung people. The forum aims to centralise Indigenous voices in conversations about architecture, the representation of histories, the present state and the future of our built environments.

BLAKitecture 2020/21 was curated by MPavilion’s program consultant Sarah Lynn Rees.

Liam Young is an Australian-born architect, filmmaker and founder of the urban futures think tank Tomorrow’s Thoughts Today.

Creative director of MPavilion Jen Zielinska spoke to Liam ahead of the Living Cities Film Series, which features a selection of films curated by Liam in response to the theme ‘The Long View’ titled Imagined Cities: Urban Futures Prototyped through Film.

In this conversation, they discuss everything from speculative fiction and the collapsing of time to using fiction as a language and growing digital cities with Amazon bots.

The Living Cities Film Series is presented in collaboration with ACMI and Open House Melbourne.

Timothy Morton is an author and professor of English at Rice University who writes and thinks broadly on philosophy, culture and ecology.

Co-director of Uro Publications Andrew Mackenzie spoke to Timothy ahead of their opening lecture at this year’s Living Cities Forum.

Listeners should prepare to have their minds slightly blown by what the world looks like through this apparently esoteric, but actually acutely real philosophical explosion—enjoy!

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Visit www.livingcitiesforum.org to watch Timothy's keynote lecture, on or after Friday 23 July 2021.

The Melbourne Awards is a community recognition program delivered by the City of Melbourne, proudly supported by the Naomi Milgrom Foundation & MPavilion.

As part of the program, in April this year, a stimulating panel discussion was facilitated by Melbourne based comedian Annie Louey. The subject was 'What makes a good capital city?' and featured as guest speakers: Lord Mayor Sally Capp; Professor Doug Hilton AO, Director of WEHI and 2020 Melburnian of the Year; Mitu Bhowmick Lange, Director of the Indian Film Festival Melbourne of Melbourne and Mind Blowing Films; and Luke Taylor, Director of the Sustainable Living Foundation.

Aleks Hammo sits down with Australian barrister, human rights and asylum seeker advocate, and author Julian Burnside AO QC to discuss meaning, work, hope, and much more.

What do our environments become if we consider the act of design to be less about responding to the rights of humans, and more about responding to our collective obligation to care for Country? This yarn explores the responsibilities we all share as humans that temporarily inhabit Country, and how these might influence the way we design.

MPavilion’s fourth annual BLAKitecture forum brought together Indigenous built environment practitioners on the Yaluk-ut Weelam land of the Boon Wurrung people. The forum aims to centralise Indigenous voices in conversations about architecture, the representation of histories, the present state and the future of our built environments. BLAKitecture 2020/21 was curated by MPavilion’s program consultant Sarah Lynn Rees.

What do our environments become if we consider the act of design to be less about responding to the rights of humans, and more about responding to our collective obligation to care for Country? This yarn explores the responsibilities we all share as humans that temporarily inhabit Country, and how these might influence the way we design.

MPavilion’s fourth annual BLAKitecture forum brings together Indigenous built environment practitioners on the Yaluk-ut Weelam land of the Boon Wurrung people. The forum aims to centralise Indigenous voices in conversations about architecture, the representation of histories, the present state and the future of our built environments.

BLAKitecture 2020/21 was curated by MPavilion’s program consultant Sarah Lynn Rees.

While there is still much work to be done on improving design processes so that they centre the voices of the Traditional Owners, not every project has the capacity to engage. So, when we can't engage, what can we do to ensure we are working in alignment with Country and its values? In conversation with Parbin-ata Carolyn Briggs, senior Elder of the Boon Wurrung People, this talk explores what we can still do for Country when we can't engage.

MPavilion’s fourth annual BLAKitecture forum brings together Indigenous built environment practitioners on the Yaluk-ut Weelam land of the Boon Wurrung people. The forum aims to centralise Indigenous voices in conversations about architecture, the representation of histories, and the present and future states of our built environments.

BLAKitecture 2020/21 was curated by MPavilion’s program consultant Sarah Lynn Rees.

It could be argued that good food—and an exceptional dining experience—make Melbourne’s heart beat. So how have pandemic-induced changes to the restaurant industry affected the rhythm of our city’s dining culture?

Join two of Melbourne’s most beloved restaurateurs, Hana Assafiri of Moroccan Soup Bar, Khanh Nguyen of  SUNDA _ and food communicator Dani Valent for a very special panel discussion that illuminates the trials and triumphs experienced by restaurateurs throughout lockdown. 

While reflecting on the ways that COVID-19 has affected their own iconic businesses—both professionally and personally—Hana, Khanh and Dani also offer their insights into the pandemic’s effect on the restaurant industry, their thoughts around lockdown approaches taken by other restaurants, their guesses at the impact of COVID-19 on dining in the future, and their feelings about the role that food plays in our lives.

*Please note: Attica chef Ben Shewry was originally scheduled to participate in this event. Due to unforeseen circumstances he was no longer able to join us in the conversation.