A piece created in collaboration with Deicke Richards and Blaklash for the Australian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2023. The images and accompanying texts reflects on our experience working for colonial government institutions for First Nations communities.
We thank all the people on whose land we live and work. These are Barada Barna, Danggan Balum, Darambal, Gubbi Gabbi, Jagera, Kombumerri, Quandamooka, Turrbal, and Yugambeh People.
Shrinking Yourself is about removing ego, letting go of authority and forgetting the timelines. It is about embracing fluidity and being uncomfortable when we have been trained to be linear and assured. Our design is ‘blurred’ because it is irrelevant. The accomplishment of this project is not visible in plan. It lies in the rejection of production-based and time-driven architecture, and the acceptance of uncertainty. The extended timeline prioritised listening and empathising (without a pen in hand), and conceded our design authority and sense of ‘expertise’. The removal of us as ‘designer’ allowed for the process, site and community to be the designers. We became documenters and illustrators. Some of the armour that protects us as architects (Gant charts, resourcing and budget) was shed, yet our design time remained the same. Months were spent talking, gaining trust, listening, and learning. Shrinking ourselves drove us into a larger profession of compassion and community. This is a small step in decolonisation. We are a small part of the process. This tactic is not a small task.
When working under the confines of bureaucracy and risk-averse protocols, genuine fellowship can strengthen resistance. Relationships come with mistakes and require vulnerability. With mistakes comes learning, trust and strength. Blaklash Creative and Deicke Richards work together trusting that our intentions are aligned. When mistakes happen (this is guaranteed), we learn from them and move forward with more understanding, knowledge and power to resist colonial practices, processes and boundaries. As architects, our prior built works for First Nations groups do not, and will not, equip us to design for another community. Yet the relationships we have built will. Our partnership is founded in project work but the relationship is ongoing. This may sound romantic and naive, however, accepting risk and vulnerability is not common in professional practice. We are not insured for white fragility. Prioritising human connection in the context of structure, rigidity and policy is difficult. However, a relief for bureaucratic frustration is genuine comrades.