Bower Studio builds for 50th anniversary of Wave Hill walk-off

Commemorating 50 years since the Wave Hill Walk-off

In August 1966, Gurindji leader Vincent Lingiari led a walk-off of 200 Aboriginal stockmen, house servants and their families from Wave Hill as a protest against the work and pay conditions.

To commemorate 50 years since the Wave Hill walk-off, architecture students at the University of Melbourne’s Bower Studio have constructed a series of ‘bough shelters’ along the walk-off track and at Kalkarindji's cultural hub.

Bower Studio program co-ordinator David O’Brien has developed projects with 18 communities in remote Australia and Papua New Guinea over a nine-year period.

“Appropriate design is not readily accessible to people living at the margins of mainstream society but it is important that they have access to well-considered design outcomes that suit their cultural, health and educational needs,” Dr O'Brien said.

“Besides working with the communities, I also love that we can work together to get something built that has real value for remote communities – architecture can have significant positive social outcomes.

“Our follow up research with the communities also helps make the program stronger and smarter.”

The Wave-hill walk-off was also the inspiration for the iconic image of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, where he transferred leasehold title to the Gurindji by symbolically handing soil to Vincent Lingiari in 1975 at Daguragu.

For 2016, the Bower Studio has been commissioned by the Kalkarindji and Dagaragu communities to build the pavilions for the 50th Freedom Day celebrations this year.

Dr O’Brien believes there are many benefits for students as they are encouraged to be involved in creating positive impacts for remote communities beyond physical infrastructure.

“Students learn and share in the celebrating of indigenous culture. Such involvement contributes to their understanding of the role that architecture can play in the broader community,” he said.

Up to 180 Australian students have participated in the Bower Studio program, working alongside partner communities, partner universities and with the support of a lot of industry and NGO groups.

Dr O’ Brien uses participatory design processes to create a ripple effect of positive change in remote communities.

He and the students are inspired to work closely with communities, as the benefits of the work are almost immediate.

Architecture student Xeyiing Ng said the Bower Studio 2016 trip was an experience filled with insightful and rewarding moments.

“It took me on a journey that provided opportunities to explore, interact and work with a part of Australia that was once unknown to me. Professionally, I was exposed to a radically different design environment,” Ms Ng said.

“The project required a particular focus on sensibility and practicality, a creative challenge that rarely occurs in studio environments. We met wonderful people along the way. This journey has enriched my life and my outlook on architectural education in so many ways. I look forward to future Bower projects.”