MTalks—BLAKitecture: Challenging the System

Architecture operates within colonial systems. These systems are often at odds with caring for Country practices, genuine participatory design practices and equity of opportunity. If you trace the systems back to their core, the problem is often a misalignment in the values that govern decision making. Some work has been done to align Aboriginal and Western systems more closely, but it is by no means perfect, and we certainly aren’t done. While one might find themselves thinking ‘just burn it all down and start again’ when confronted with their scale and deeply ingrained nature… If we don’t continue evolving built environment processes, we will continue to destroy Country and impact the health and wellbeing of communities. Tune into this yarn that stepped through built environment processes and explored opportunities for how and why systems could and should change, and how everyone can play a role in effecting positive change. Listen to Sarah Lynn Rees in conversation with Sophie Patitsas, Alek Kennedy and Paul Paton. MPavilion’s sixth annual BLAKitecture forum aims to centralise Indigenous voices in conversations about architecture, the representation of histories, and the present and future states of our built environments. Blakitecture is curated by MPavilion’s program consultant Sarah Lynn Rees.