Closing the loop - weaving connections and seeding regenerative development
Last Saturday, we hosted the third and final workshop as part of the Weaving Three Stories project at the Fishermans Bend Circular Design Collective. Despite the chilly winter conditions, the space became a glowing beacon of hope for the future.
Set against the backdrop of activities at the Circular Design Collective, it was the perfect place to explore circular design in context to Caring for Country and ways to create an urban environment with Indigenous generational perspectives.
Country at the centre
Over forty people gathered around the beautiful centrepiece created by Christina Theodorou. Again a reminder that we were gathering on Country, which was a wetland in precolonial times.
Following the rhythm of the first two workshops, the session started with a moving acknowledgement of Country by Stevie Thorpe, a Gunai Kurnai Gundjitmara, Yorta Yorta, Palawan man and founding director of Sustainative. He played clapsticks and sang a song, encouraging participants to ground themselves and connect to Country.
Sarah Naarden, a regenerative designer and co-founder of the Turruk Yarning Circle program at Initiatives of Change Australia, spoke about the role of reciprocity in restoring natural systems and the need to prioritize pathways for material flows with cultural regeneration over depletion and extraction.
Love + Place + Connection
Dr. Dominique Hes, a regenerative development thinker, educator, and award-winning author with over 25 years of experience in sustainability, placemaking and systems thinking then spoke about her work. As she reminded the group, we need to go beyond just “sustaining” the natural systems - we need to actively work to restore and regenerate them to address the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss. At the heart of her message was love and connection to place.
“Without love of place we won’t get to healthy places for the future” she said.
The words and emphasis on love were echoed by Trawoolway woman Merilyn Merm Duff. As well as having a display and pop up shop of her own cultural works on display, Merilyn also gifted Sarah a message stick to the Turruk Community.
We also heard from circular design practitioner Alexi Freeman, an interdisciplinary creative practitioner exploring textile research, artisanal jewellery and regenerative biodesign through circular economy principles and poetic material storytelling. Alexi showed some of the materials they had been working with - including textiles made from bacteria!
It was then time to put our hands to work, and we were guided once again by Boonwurrung weaver Bianca Easton to create feather flower keepsakes. Blending emu feathers with brightly coloured craft feathers we set to work, chatting and sharing stories as we handcrafted our creations.
We were honoured to have Alex Makin, Councillor (Montague Ward) from the City of Port Philip with us all afternoon. He shared a few reflections to close the afternoon - reminding us that change comes from telling and sharing stories, and advocating for what is important to us.
What’s Next
The project team are planning an exhibition of selected participants’ work from this project on October 29 alongside the screening of documentary '"Weaving Stories of Change".
Limited tickets are available
