MPavilion

The practice of painting on barks for ceremony, and for the transmission of stories, law and culture, are an important and enduring practice in Yolŋu communities around Arnhem Land and the Top End.

Bark paintings today are appreciated around the world as a powerful expression of the beauty and strength of Yolŋu culture. However, the practice of harvesting, producing, painting and sharing a bark painting is also an important act of cultural conservation and preservation.

This hands-on Indigenous-led exploration on the making of a bark painting enabled audiences to learn how a bark is harvested and prepared for painting, how to create ochre paints and paintbrushes, and discuss ideas of cultural conservation and knowledge sharing.

Material—by being composed of matter—is a tangible artifact. Materiality, on the other hand, is inclusive of tangible and intangible matter. Digital materiality is the state of representation of physical materials, whether they are tangible or not.

Listen in to Gunditjmara, Djabwurrung artist Hayley Millar Baker and Burraguttumal Curator Sebastian Goldspink as they discussed the tangibility and the ephemeral in digital art making and self portraiture through a First Nation’s lens.

This talk was presented as part of the program for UNTOLD at MPavilion presented by Agency Projects. UNTOLD brings together First Nations creatives, thinkers and writers from across Australia for exchange, storytelling and discussion.

The City of Melbourne is committed to addressing the Climate Emergency through its Emissions Reduction Plan 2021-2026 and Climate Change Mitigation Strategy. 

Until now, much of the emphasis has rightly been on reducing operational emissions. The focus has now turned to embodied carbon which is present in all materials and products we use today. 

This talk sought to facilitate an interactive discussion on the solutions to deliver sustainable built environments by using low carbon and low embodied energy materials, building better through robustness and minimising waste in construction. 

Tune in for a broad-ranging panel discussion that explored the role of materials, emerging technology and alternative solutions to delivering sustainable built environments for an Enduring City.

The selection of materials for application in the built environment contributes to the commodification of Country.

If we reframe our approach to design with an understanding that Country is not solely a material entity, but a living entity—with a past, a present and future—we can be better placed to design buildings that heal Country.

Tune in for a discussion that explores how the materials we select shape our spaces, have the ability to embed culture and knowledge, and contribute to a regenerative model of Australian architecture.

MPavilion’s sixth annual BLAKitecture 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 is curated by MPavilion’s program consultant Sarah Lynn Rees.

Tune in for a conversation championing new material explorations and research from the design industry. Find out about cutting-edge developments in bioplastics manufacturing, robotic fabrication and more, from panellists working across both commercial and institutional backgrounds.

Many of these products feature biomimicry and advanced material science to create new technologies and materials. Working at the forefront of research and mass production, our panellists reveal the synergies and differences between their approaches and processes—and show the potential of what is possible.

Hear about the latest challenges and successes from bioplastic manufacturers, material researchers, environmental concrete manufacturers and robotic fabricators!

Sharing food unites people across different communities and gives us space to share and learn from one another. For those away from home, food acts as a point of connection, remembering and nostalgia; for those wanting to explore new cultures, food can often act as the first step.

Melbourne is home to a diverse range of cultures, and this is reflected in the city’s culinary offerings. It is no surprise then, that the sharing of food, and its history, has allowed this city to take great strides toward embracing its multiculturalism.

Hear from a range of speakers that have shaped and encouraged the act sharing of food and cultural knowledge. They discuss where they believe the future of this work is heading and where they hope it will go, and explore sharing and making food more accessible to the public.

The most sustainable building is the one that lasts. In today’s state of accelerated social and technological change, can we design buildings that will last hundreds of years?

We know materials are made of matter—with all the significant implications of lifecycle performance and embodied energy. Materials also matter, linking the physical environment and our embodied experience of the world. Reconciling this dual nature is key to creating sustainable communities.

In their architectural practice, panellists Bettina, Alexander, and Paul have each taken a firm material position against the harmful mediocrity of Australia’s throwaway, knock-down rebuild construction culture.

Listen as they unravel the complexity of designing for endurance and try to arrive at a common-sense definition of sustainability that both protects the planet and saves our souls.

This event was developed as part of the M_Curators, an MPavilion program engaging young makers, doers and programmers.

*Image by photographer Paul Haar, Self-builder Hobson Levi teaching neighbouring Islander the art of laying earth brick (Moa Island Queensland 1987)

Tune in to hear a conversation from filmmakers contributing to the Black Diasporas project, a showcase of 10 short films that document the experiences of individuals of African ancestry living in Naarm.

Making a reference to African oral narrative cultural practices, the project is the result of seventy-five community members and creatives, collaborating to document topics like childbirth, daily life, and the effects of stereotyping.

Telling stories is a political act. While no project can entirely encapsulate the diversity of character, experience, and community, the Black Diasporas series asks questions and provides a platform to hear directly from people of African heritage.

*Image from "TRAMS TRAINS TKZEE + ME" directed by Scottnes Smith, co-produced by Phillipa J. Smith, cinematography by Abdul Yusuf, and starring Kgomotso Sekhu.*

Tune in to hear Fieldwork, the architects behind Collingwood Yards, hosting a panel conversation looking at how to foster connection and collaboration through architecture.

Using Collingwood Yards as their case study, this discussion explores how physical space, materials and design can foster communication and collaboration. From community consultations to approaches that focus on minimal intervention and mixed use, there are many ways architecture can play a role in creating and facilitating a community.

As permanent visitors, working in professions that reshape Country, what if every person on a team shared the responsibility to look after Country by following a kinship to Country model? What would be the benefits and the potential pitfalls? Where would the line need to be drawn between appropriate and appropriation?

MPavilion’s sixth annual BLAKitecture 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 is curated by MPavilion’s program consultant Sarah Lynn Rees.