NAIDOC Week Task: A Sense of Place

Country, Place and Identity

Yagan Square

A central aspect of First Nations culture in Australia is the notion of caring for Country. This means to tread lightly, respect the Country you live and work on and help to keep it healthy for future generations. You'll notice that the word Country is generally captialised when referred to in the First Nations context. This is because it is viewed as a living entity and not an inanimate object.

To have a sense of place is to feel a connection to a location, whether it is physical, emotional, cultural or spiritual. A place can hold significant memories and associations for a person.

A particular place can also form an important part of our identity, for example the dwelling, suburb, city or country in which we live.

Place and Identity in Landscape Design

As landscape design is concerned with outdoor spaces and the natural environments, it is perhaps the design field best suited to providing designers and clients with the opportunity to care for Country, and connect users to a particular place.

This can be done in a variety of ways, but it requires the designer to put Country, and its needs, at the front and centre of the design.

Think about plants, materials, aesthetic features and outdoor structures.

Krakani Lumi, Wukalia Walk

Dickson College Presentation_Final.pdf

On the left is a resource that was provided to Dickson College in 2022 by Mackenzie Saddler of Arcadia, a large landscape design firm based in several locations across Australia. It details some things that you as a landscape designer can do to put Country at the centre of your design.

Portfolio Task

Listen to the ABC Radio National audio clip Noongar people speak about a sense of place: https://www.abc.net.au/education/radio-national-noongar-people-speak-about-a-sense-of-place/13701914

Have a look at the Inbetween exhibition landing page from the National Museum of Australia. https://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/inbetween-2021

Choose one of the featured projects from the list below and find out more about it (min 1 paragraph). Include the location, client, purpose of the project and any notable themes, ideas or design features. How have the architects of your chosen project instilled a sense of ‘place’ into the project?
- Yagan Square (Lyons Architects, Iredale Pedersen Hook Architects, Aspect Studios and Maddison Architects)
- Krakani Lumi, Wukalia Walk (Taylor + Hinds Architects)

Answer the following questions (one paragraph, 3-4 sentences each minimum):
- What does the idea of 'caring for Country' mean to you?
- What connects you to your own home, school or local environment?
- How have these places influenced or helped to form your own personal identity?
- Thinking about your answers above, how could you instill a sense of place or identity, specific to Canberra into a landscape design? Be specific in your answer rather than mentioning general things like 'use native plants'. Tertiary students: this last question will help form some of the next design task.

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