My Story of Indigenous Representation

My story for the panels has taken shape and it is making its way closer to architectural outcomes.

The meeting circle has become my main focus and I think my distrubution strategy is merged in with my team members, even though we are addressing different issues. Here is a closer look at my polictical toons (NOTE text to be inserted by Photoshop):

1. The lack of Indigenous Representation

2. The Australian Public see the problem and
begin to act through voting

3. More indigenous members resultantly joined the
Australian House of Representatives and Senate

4. The Parliament and Parliament House have need
to change to accommodate the new members
and extend cultural sensitivity

5. The country decide to deconstruct the Parliament
House and distribute all over Australia

Solution - A strong network of traditional indigenous meeting
circles all across Australia

Creating a culturally related system that works with Canberra and Central Australia as hubs will create more inclusion of remote community and heighten the voices of indigenous, Anglo-Saxon and multi-cultural Australians. 

My Strategy / My Problem

Research


Reconciliation Australia

19 August 2010

1. There have only been two Indigenous Senators in 109 years of Federal Parliament and there have never been any Indigenous politicians in the House of Representatives.

2. The three main parties have all put forward Indigenous candidates for the 2010 Federal Election.


3. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates represent the interests of all people, not just the issues affecting Indigenous people.


4. Having Indigenous people in parliament can help to achieve reconciliation and close the gap.


5. Indigenous politicians can bring important experience and expertise to bear on government decisions and policies which affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.


http://www.reconciliation.org.au/home/reconciliation-resources/facts---figures/q-a-factsheets/five-fast-facts---indigenous-participation-in-parliament


Concept


This information has inspired my mind to think about the positive implications as Australia begins to embrace more indigenous Parliaments following the election of Ken Wyatt from WA in 2011.

The Thought Process

Further inspiration within the traditional Meeting Circle of indigenous Australians and what it represents. With the sitting circle creating equality between all those who sit, and the 'strands' representing the directions in which many will arrive and many may leave, there is virtual, flexible, distributed and mobile value within the concept. And architecturally, a circle such as this could develop a very valuable and interesting space.




After discussion with my group and with my theme leader, Davor, we decided telling a story of our ideas which will lead to an overall solution to benefit Australia. This will be depicted in cartoonish perform, similar to political cartoons. Currently for my final outcome, I hope to follow the words of Frank Lloyd Wright by maybe showing "government how to operate better as a result of better architecture”.

And so... I decided drafting my story idea is the best option

Australian Identity

I believe Australian Identity exists in two different forms which together form a beautiful culture. Some are more existent in the design of Canberra than others:


Modern Australian Identity

Australia has many icons that are now recognisable all around the globe. The built structures would never have been remotely thought of 300 years ago.
Australia is a young and proud nation and treasure the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House.

The 'never-say-die' and mateship attitude of Australia is another valued trait, said to stem from the Australian and New Zealand ANZACs, dating back to WWI.
A closeness and friendliness is said to make Australians popular around the world. Therefore, a close-knitted community as a capital should be vital.

Natural forms of Australian land are also important to Australia's culture. As well as being highly significant to the Indigenous people of Australia, it is a place new and old Australians can come together. The Aussie barbecue would be an iconic statement and gathering. That is why on Australia Day, people gather to celebrate what is beautifully Australia in the modern era.




Indigenous Australian Identity - the roots of the nation

 The other side of the coin and even the Australian $50 note is the old, peaceful and respectful culture of indigenous Australia.


These are the people who here living on the Australian land before the Europeans settled here in the 1700s.

The artwork and story telling of the Aboriginal culture is a noticeable feature, with their dotted paintings also being unique and recognisable all over the globe. These amazing depictions stem from the virtual world of 'The Dreamtime'. This is the setting of nearly all Aboriginal elder stories from long ago.




The indigenous people, although extremely low in population compared to the white Australians, are immersed with many important facets of modern Australians culture. Australian Rules football is a good example, with indigenous arguably being the most exciting players in the increasingly popular sport.

The traditional meeting places was and remains another vital feature within the indigenous culture. The traditional welcoming circle would welcome newcomers and other tribes to their land (Central Art 2011). They are still ceremoniously used, to preserve the valued customs.

Meeting circles were also used as traditional meeting places where indigenous people from all around could meet at certain times. Elders would also council within these circles.




These unique cultural habits along with traditional sheltering and hierarchy of needs will be a strong basis for developing a new, different, more Australia Canberra and Parliament.
What about a Meeting Circle instead of a House of Respresentatives?
All created equal, accepting and appreciating the land on which they sit.
Traditional ownership recognition to a whole new level.

Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959)

“Maybe we can show government how to operate better as a result of better architecture”

American Architect and Writer, the most abundantly creative genius of American architecture. His Prairie style became the basis of 20th century residential design in the United States

Flexible-Mobile-Distributed-Virtual

What FLEXIBLE means to me...

 Bendable, versatile, connectible, usable...

Flowing, transparent, shape-shifting, calm...

What MOBILE means to me...

Compact, convenient, pocket-sized...

Packable, movable, international, large scale...

What DISTRIBUTED means to me...

Well-spread, economical, crafted...

Various hubs, collective, deliberate, netted...

What VIRTUAL means to me...

Exerts from 'Time to Talk - Canberra 2030'

Canberra is a forum. It is a symbol. It is a hub. It is the capital of a country with multiple values. 'Time to Talk - Canberra 2030' is a collaboration of the thoughts and future needs of the Canberra community.

Some exerts regarding the prospective future which I have found quite provocative are as follows:


"Canberrans, young and old, valuethe egalitarian nature of their city and its liveability"



"Canberra will maintain its reputation as a “capital in the bush” and as a city known for clean air, open space and convenience. Canberra will be at the centre of a region offering stimulating, highly
skilled jobs in a clean, green economy."



"Canberra’s open spaces will be leafy places for people to enjoy and to socialise in with friends and
neighbours."



"There will be a shift from its current dependency on the motor vehicle to more sustainable options. Electric cars, walking and cycling and the newly built light rail/ sustainable public transport system will make Canberra a city less dependent on motor vehicles."


"By 2030 new development will create a more compact city. Broad and early community engagement will be led by Government who will take a more “open government” approach to the future planning of the city."



"Universal design will ensure buildings enable aging in place, have a long life and are appropriate for the young, older people and those Canberrans with disabilities."



"The community will build a sustainable long-term economy not only as a national capital but as a regional hub."



"Supporting this will be an education system that will attract families to Canberra and offer excellent education, from early childhood through to tertiary education. This will help build Canberrans’ skills and bring more people into the local economy of Canberra. "



"The innovation that shaped Canberra’s past will be inherent in guiding its future to make a Canberra that meets our needs in 2030."


Key messages from the community

• Population growth and the needs of young and old Canberrans
• Management of resources, including energy, water and land
• Housing affordability and diversity
• Integrated and sustainable transport
• A compact city and quality urban development
• Canberra’s role in the region.

The needs of the Canberra community and what they will require to succeed in the future are fairly obvious from this publication (available at http://canberra2030.org.au/ ), HOWEVER....


Population growth requires space to expand; there is a large challenge in improving a city for growing population WHILST creating a more compact city at the same time.

Existing Canberra Planning

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA DESIGN FOR THE LAY-OUT OF THE FEDERAL CAPITAL CITYWalter Burley Griffin
http://www.library.cornell.edu/Reps/DOCS/griffin.htm

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA DESIGN FOR THE LAY-OUT OF DESIGN OF THE FEDERAL CITY OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA.Scott Griffiths, Robert C. Coulter, and Charles Casswell The Public Service Journal 13 (June 15, 1912). http://www.library.cornell.edu/Reps/DOCS/number10.htm

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA DESIGN FOR THE LAY-OUT OF THE FEDERAL CAPITAL CITY LOGICWalter Burley Griffin
http://www.library.cornell.edu/Reps/DOCS/griffin.htm

Entry 1 - The First Glance

My first look at this competition unearths something within my mind that has been there since first seeing the design of Canberra in my first year of university. A dormant thought that was fuelled during a short trip to the capital city on Australia Day 2011.

Canberra has so much more potential than what is currently standing. The city should be more provocative; a city Australian residents can be proud of and long to visit equally as much as tourists e.g. Washington DC in the USA.

From viewing the competition site (http://www.capithetical.com.au/the-competition/), I can see many of the questions that I plan to answer:

Primary Questions
Would you build a new capital today or could the Australian Federation be expressed in a different way?
Would it be a city in the conventional sense or not? If not, what form might it take?
What ideas would drive its design and development?
How would 21^st century social, political and environmental factors influence the nature of the city?
Of what should our national capital consist?


Provocations

National versus Local: The architecture of a capital is imposing as an expression of nationhood and heritage, values and aspirations. How then should such a city express itself as a place where people also live, work and play?  

Size: Australia is the world’s most urbanised nation, with 57% of its population living in the five largest cities. This figure is close to double that of Europe and the USA. Should a hypothetical capital have ambitions as a sixth metropolis?

What: What is a city?

• event?
• infrastructure?
• home?
• market?
• government?
• landscape?
• object?
• experience?
• commerce?
• community?
• communication?

Is a capital city different?

Whose: Does our changing demographic influence the shape, substance or style of the city?

How: Do social, political and environmental pressures and expectations influence how an Australian capital might be created today?

Over the next few days, I will seek to understand how I can address the Primary Questions whilst nuturing the creative thoughts stemming from the Provocations.