Kinship forged in the bush: SITING event wrap.
After uniting dozens of regional architects, designers and their building industry colleagues, the RAA looks back on SITING as a formative springboard to galvanise a movement for working with allied disciplines in designing not just in, but for regional areas into the future.
From all corners of regional NSW they gathered at a restored woolshed in a paddock in the Central West NSW, on Wiradjuri Country, hosted by the CORRIDOR project.
To these regional architects, designers, and their building industry supporters the travel was nothing. That’s just part of what it means to live outside the big smoke. They came for what they would discover and the opportunity to meet like minded colleagues in a setting as unpretentious as it was beautiful.
The RAA unites a community whose challenges are unique.
The Regional Architecture Association’s forum, SITING, was tailored to meet the challenges unique to regional areas.
Busy hands quiet busy minds.
Brent Dunn took us through a series of drawing exercises to let our minds settle in the vastness of the Central West landscape and attendees used the opportunity to explore the detail of the unique and beautiful historic woolshed.
Learning to apply First Nation culture and respect for the land to our work.
In the wake of natural disasters that have been unleashed on our regional communities, the event hosts shared stories of how to build in ways that reflect First Nations’ respect for the land, in all its diversity and unpredictability.
Arts OutWest curator, Aleshia Lonsdale, hosted a practical kinship game illustrating how connections in indigenous culture are made and maintained, and how they’ve been disrupted. This served to motivate the respect which our industry places on First Nations culture.
Using the arts to reimagine community.
Through inspiring conversations about major community arts projects, hosts Phoebe Cowdery and Dylan Gower of the CORRIDOR project gave guests permission to reimagine their practices.
Grant funding driven by the CORRIDOR project’s creative producer and artist Phoebe Cowdery has spearheaded endeavours into meaningful ventures as diverse as SITE ACTIVATE an art installation in disused rail infrastructure and MOVE - the museum of vast exchange, a temporal and movable art site to connect communities. These give back with social education, elevate the bush economy, and unite appreciation for local history and culture.
Grassroots action on climate change and economic challenges.
Dylan Gower, together with Casey Proctor introduced us to CLEAN Cowra - a community organisation dedicated to bringing a regional circular economy into being through utilising local resources such as waste by-products of food production, to produce local energy for local industry and agriculture in a bio-digester network.
By converting organic waste into energy, local biomass waste resources can be harvested and transformed into high-value products, including energy and fertilisers, addressing energy challenges and reducing climate change impacts all the while providing employment opportunities.
Camaraderie inspires a fun atmosphere for learning and connection.
What’s not to love about chilling out over tasty meals from a local caterer and spending the evening under the stars in great company, listening to some soulful live music?
Then there was the chance to explore Cowra, learning a little about this burgeoning country town and more from each other.
The volunteering efforts of the RAA organisers and guests put on a great show. They did this with the belief in the vision that getting together like this refreshes our perspective on our professional lives and spurs us on.
Want to join the RAA for our next event? Perhaps become a member of the RAA or know someone who would? Spread the word and reach out via this website.
