Testing out on our most honest critics - success!
Located in the village of Sassafras, Wurrundjeri Country, the Community Node is node 2 of the Ngurrak Barring - Ridge walk architectural nodes.
Collaborating with @djinjama , COLA studio led the design for the community node, conceptualising mother/aunty and child structures that draw from the matriarchal strength of women, intergenerational connections and the indivisible connection between ourselves and Country. Our artist statement is as follows:
For many First Peoples, community represents strength, resilience, resistance and nurturing. The strength of community(ies) being the reason culture has continued. For some First Peoples who have been forcibly separated, community is an embrace longed for.
The mother/aunty and child structures here are a representation of the nurturing, nourishment and guidance of community and Country. The welcoming forms are soft, warm and open whilst being strong and sheltering, their strength and structure formed of the many elements woven together. The forms take on the character of a weaving and a fern unfurling, an expression of the indivisible connection between ourselves and Country.
Thanks goes to Anna and the @ngurrakbarring team for driving this project and keeping us on track, as well as @webb.welding for the incredible fabrication of the structures @artisanengineeringdesign_arts for translating the vision and @creostructuresau for the structural engineering. It has been a pleasure working on this project and so happy to see it sitting so beautifully in place 🖤💛❤️
So exciting to see @ngurrakbarring officially open this week. Aunty Joy Wandin Murphy welcomed us to Country with a smoking ceremony by her son. The Djirri Djirri dancers danced around the structure, a genuinely special event for us as the design team with @_cola_studio .
This Node is the Country Node, it shares stories of the layers of Country as shared by Mandy Nicholson. It holds the shape of the unfurling fern, and Aunty Joy said she saw the lyrebird expressed through its form as well. There are 5 Architectural Nodes across the 39 kilometre walk along with a number of amazing artworks.
This project has been a really important collaboration for us with COLA Studio. It has been genuinely Indigenous led, largely female led, largely small business led. We do not often get opportunities to be in design leadership roles so we are very grateful to @yrcouncil for putting their trust in us and enabling Indigenous leadership across the project.
Thanks to @webb.welding and @artisanengineeringdesign_arts for your work to bring these Nodes to life. And thanks to @specialkails for sharing this journey with us. Love your work!
Opening of Node 5, the Country node, @ngurrakbarring
An exploration of the life of a fern, the beautiful layers of Country as told by Wurrundjeri woman Mandy Nicholson, different elements and beings of Country - Biik Ngarrga - emerge throughout contemplation.
The design of this node was led by @djinjama
As part of our collaborative design of the Ngurrak Barring architectural nodes. What a beautiful celebration of a wonderful project delivered by wonderful people.
Amazing job @webb.welding and @artisanengineeringdesign_arts for fabrication shop drawings of this organic beauty 😍
On Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country in the Dandenong Ranges our co-design with @_cola_studio – Nodes of @ngurrakbarring for @yrcouncil – is currently being fabricated and built.
We have been designing 5 Nodes that express the narratives shared by key Knowledge Holders. They are located in key places across the ngurrak barring walk. Node 5 is the Country Node, sharing the aspirations, themes and narratives of Country held by Knowledge Holders
Thanks to @webb.welding for lovingly bringing these cultural works coming together.
Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country in the Dandenong Ranges is hosting @ngurrakbarring . Our co-design with @_cola_studio for @yrcouncil is currently being fabricated and built.
We have been designing 5 Nodes that express the narratives shared by key Knowledge Holders. They are located in key places across the ngurrak barring walk. Node 4 is the Activism Node, inspired by the sparks held within communities that activates them in their fights for justice and while protecting Country and ecology.
Thanks to @webb.welding for welcoming us to their factory, we are excited to see the works coming together.
On Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country in the Dandenong Ranges, our co-design with @_cola_studio for @yrcouncil is coming to life. Our project together, to design 5 Nodes for @ngurrakbarring , is currently being fabricated and built.
We have been co-designing the Nodes with COLA. They express the narratives shared by key Knowledge Holders of Country. The Nodes are located in key places across the ngurrak barring walk. Node 3 – Resilience has a new site so yet to kick off fabrication, but here is a sneak peak.
Thanks to @webb.welding for welcoming us to their factory and caring for our work and the stories embedded.
Down on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country in the Dandenong Ranges, our co-design with @_cola_studio for @yrcouncil is coming to life. Our project together, @ngurrakbarring , is currently being fabricated and built.
We have been designing 5 Nodes that express the narratives shared by key Knowledge Holders. They are located in key places across the ngurrak barring walk. Here is Node 2 – Community under construction. @specialkails 's planting plan is stunning and the little baby plants are taking hold (other than a few vanilla lilies that the cockatoos decided were theirs!). This is the only Node in a town park, all others are in bush settings.
Thanks to @webb.welding for welcoming us to their factory where we could see Node 2 (with its 27,000 laser cut holes!) being lovingly fabricated.
Last week we were fortunate to visit Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country, the Dandenong Ranges, where our co-design with @_cola_studio for @yrcouncil is coming to life. Our project together, @ngurrakbarring , is currently being fabricated and built.
We have been designing 5 Nodes that express the narratives shared by key Knowledge Holders. They are located in key places across the ngurrak barring walk. Here is a sneak peek of Node 1 – Ways of Seeing.
Thanks to @webb.welding for making them so beautiful and welcoming us to their factory.
!! Opening ceremony excitement for Venice Biennale !! Very special to share this momentous occasion with our babies.
(Should have posted this sooner... need to get on top of our socials)
💛🖤❤️
Kaylie Salvitori is the Founder, Director and Indigenous Design Strategist of her landscape architecture business, Cola Studios which is based above our shop!
Kaylie's painting featured in this post is currently on display in our front window for NAIDOC Week. She also designed all of our beautiful logos and artworks!
About the Artist:
"A Saltwater Budawang (Yuin) Woman, Kaylie is a landscape architect, Indigenous design strategist, educator, researcher and artist. Specialising in Indigenous design collaboration, Kaylie’s work centres Country as design generator and driver, asserting the right and need for Traditional Owners and Indigenous knowledge holders to hold power in the design process.
Kaylie works in public, community and private spaces, emphasising the importance of (re)connecting to the systems, plants and animals that support the health of Country and therefore communities. Kaylie’s work is driven by her cultural heritage, as she works to reconnect herself with Country, Indigenous knowledge and community through her design processes.
A big picture creative, Kaylie excels at concept ideation, strategy and visualisations, whilst enjoying fine tuning her detailed design via planting and materiality selection. A passionate and enthusiastic project coordinator, Kaylie is motivated by delivering quality projects from concept design and development through to construction detailing and delivery."
#NAIDOC2025 #NAIDOCWEEK #BlakLoudProud #australianowned
#aboriginalart
#aboriginalaustralia #aboriginalartists #aboriginalcreators #aboriginalbusinesses #aboriginalproducts #naidoc #firstnations #firstnationsart #firstnationsproducts #shoplocal #supportlocalbusiness #wentworthfallsflorist #wentworthfallsgifts #bluemountains #bluemountainsmade #mountainsmade #mountainlife #australia #visitthebluemountains #visitaustralia🇦🇺 #visitnsw #visitwentworthfalls
Illustrating a contemporary iteration of a practice thousands of generations strong: journeying vast distances to share knowledges and culture.
As the oldest living knowledge economy, First Peoples have been sharing bio-cultural knowledge in the face of change for as long as humanity can remember.
On the precipice of global catastrophic changes HOME represents a contemporary continuation of this practice of coming together to share knowledge and aspirations, discuss obligations and make connections.
Drawn by @specialkails
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#venice #venicebiennale #venicebiennale2025 #home #architecture #culture #country #creativesphere #supersphere #BiennaleArchitettura2025
#IntelliGens
