Yurrkuba
Lardil. to feel good.
lardil street elevationThis project required the design of a new Art Centre for Mirndiyan Gununa on Mornington Island, to replace the existing building while expanding upon the already rich cultural history of its presence. Production of art is a crucial part of cultural memory and language exchange for local peoples, particularly from the elderly residents to the youth, so this new space needed to facilitate this to the greatest extent possible.
COURSE COORDINATOR
KELLY GREENOP & CARROLL GO-SAM
TUTOR
MARAM SHAWEESH
COURSE
ARCH3100: CLIENTS AND CULTURE
COMPLETED
JUNE 2023
PLAN
SECTION THROUGH VIEWING DECK AND GALLERYBuilt examples of Indigenous art production spaces, such as the Girrawaa Creative Work Centre, set a precedent for the use of a linear organisation early on in the design process. However, this linear arrangement was systematically offset in relation to appropriate sightlines. Key users highlighted a desire for the traditional dancing space to be a key visual element to Lardil Street, and while engaging with the site, so this was set as a central element to which all ancillary spaces should maintain a viewpoint to.
Also informing the offsetting process were cultural avoidance behaviours inherent to the Lardil lifestyle; separate circulations and entries were provided between the men and women’s painting studios to empower the users with the choice to modulate their own behaviour if it is required. This strong linear layout of spaces was initially in opposition to the current artists’ desire for a curved structure reminiscent of traditional Lardil shelter, and so this was expressed primarily through roof form. The overall curved concept allows it to sit in with the landscape, sharing the organic geometry.
