Wadeye Cultural Hub - Day 8

Nearing the end of the Bower 17 build phase, the Pavilion was taking shape and almost at a point of completion. The last of the formwork was assembled and positioned ready for the following day’s pour. The A/V equipment was also securely mounted within the Media Box and all cabling was organized to provide a clear area for internal storage.

It happened to be a public holiday – the Queen’s Birthday – and many of the local children had the day off school. Students of the Bower Studio took this as an opportunity to engage with the local children, and invited them to participate in the building of small cubby houses. The cubbies were constructed out of timber panels, lengths of coloured rope, sheets of material and cable ties. It was great to see the creativity and imagination of the children, as they used the materials at hand to create their own unique small spaces. Working with the children – and even their parents – allowed the students to continue building relationships with members of the community, and also provided an insight and a reminder of the experiences of ‘play’ from a child’s point of view. This would provide a lesson for the students as to how we could possible consider younger people’s experiences in future designs.

The Queen’s Birthday Clash between Melbourne Demons and Collingwood was also broadcast from the Media Box during this time, and many Melbourne supporters came to the pavilion to watch the game. It was a great atmosphere within the pavilion, the sound of cheers from people watching the football, to the laughter of kids playing – the space was functioning positively despite still remaining a constructions site! Observing the events that took place today, it became clear how the space would continue to be used and all the events the space can accommodate.

To end the day, some students had the opportunity to visit and have the ‘Grand Tour’ of Wadeye’s Kanamkek-Yile Ngala Museum. Led by Mark Crocombe and Lyndon Ormond-Parker, the students were informed of local history, told many significant stories and observed the process of digitizing archival materials.

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Timothy Farrugia

  • 2017 Wadeye
  • NT