N'arwee't Professor Carolyn Briggs AM + Greenshoot Design
Site 3
Murrup, Marram Baa,ny
About the design
Murrup Marram Baa'ny engages with the First Peoples' knowledge system of contemporaneous time, past, present and future, through the tension between the brickwork in Mandie’s room, the spirit of the water bodies and signature graffiti aerosol burns which gesture to future opportunities for cultural expression.
Murrup Marram Baa'ny introduces light, movement and shadow in seeking to evoke the history and memory of place. It echoes a First Nation's identity with the spirit of the water bodies, disrupted and manipulated through colonisation.
The fixed brickwork grid is in tension with the mist and spirit of the ephemeral water bodies, whilst also acting as a canvas for contemporary cultural expression, punctuated with subtle references to graffiti aerosol burn techniques.
A singular aerosol burn locates the Boyd House amongst the precolonial water systems, referencing the colour of the armchairs in the living room.
About the designers
N’arwee’t Professor Carolyn Briggs, AM Boon Wurrung Senior Elder and chairperson / founder of the Boon Wurrung Foundation. Descendant of the First Peoples of Melbourne, the Yaluk-ut Weelam clan of the Boon Wurrung, she is the great-granddaughter of Louisa Briggs, a Boon Wurrung woman born near Melbourne in the 1830’s.
Carolyn has developed and supported opportunities for Indigenous youth and Boon Wurrung culture for over 40 years. She established the Boon Wurrung Foundation, which is responsible for significant work in cultural research, including restoration of the Boon Wurrung language. The Foundation also helps connect Aboriginal youth to their heritage. Carolyn has worked across numerous communities, has undertaken studies in Language & Linguistics to record her Boon Wurrung language, as well as a Doctorate in Philosophy, Media & Communication. Her research assists urban Indigenous youth to understand Indigenous knowledge, part of Carolyn’s life-long journey documenting the history of her ancestors.
Greenshoot Design is an interdisciplinary research and design practice, specialising in culturally responsive codesign. Greenshoot design has developed with Elders a Country-centred design approach, exploring the intersection between Connecting to Country, Designing with Country and Caring for Country to support delivery across a broad range of project typologies in the built and natural environment.
Country-centred design recognises that the economy, society and the environment are not separate or opposing, but instead are entirely dependent on each other and nurture one another through a series of responsible and reciprocal relationships. Our designs seek to reveal layers of history and memory of place as part of an unwavering commitment to truth telling and celebrating First Peoples culture and knowledge systems and contribute to a future national identity.