The Living Pavilion, a 17-day event celebrating Indigenous knowledge, ecological science and sustainable design, officially opened today at the University of Melbourne’s Parkville Campus. It was a beautiful and powerful opening ceremony with a moving Welcome to Country from Aunty Di Kerr (Wurundjeri Elder) and performances from Mandy Nicholson, Mitch Tambo and the Djirri Djirri Dance Group. The evening was MC’d by Rueben Berg.
The Living Pavilion has been co-produced by CAUL Hub, Thrive Hub and The University of Melbourne’s New Student Precinct Project. Not only will The Living Pavilion demonstrate the importance of endemic species and the skill of the First Peoples in knowing and protecting the land, it will also involve research into urban biodiversity, air quality, microclimate, social connection and place-attachment. As this is a key research and knowledge brokering activity for CAUL Hub, the Hub is participating in numerous aspects of this research, as well as presenting to key stakeholders through the CAUL Hub talk series (#1 Indigenous City, #2 Nature in the City and #3 Liveable Cities).
You can read more about The Living Pavilion in this recent article by The Age or on the official webpage. You can also get a sneak peak of CAUL Hub Leader Kirsten Parris’ frog soundscape here.
Featured image: Mandy Nicholson at the Opening Ceremony. Credit: Sarah Fisher