Building upon the work presented here, I wish to continue to develop a process which places emphasis on “crafting value”. The intention starts with me and extends out, a way of working that is sensitive to land and site and builds meaningful connections with others.  Having some experience in the commercial interior design industry I am eager to use this time at RMIT to develop my own way of working, which I can use to anchor myself in life past this course.

The context for completing my investigations this semester comes at a time of immense social and economic upheaval.  A global pandemic, catastrophic bushfires, international protests in the face of racial injustice, these moments have created a space for reflection and forced the questioning of the status quo. A re-calibration of the scales is required, and however modest, this is the basis my project builds upon.

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For my major project, I propose to practice interior design through a regenerative process that engages with the land, investigates site materials, and invites others to participate. I plan to test this process in different locations, moving from the rural, to both urban and wild contexts. Through proposing to work in these varying typologies I will be able to test this method of practice and endeavour to expand the field of interior design past its conventional perceptions.

Following on from the location of the rural site I have explored this semester, I will continue to work within the Hepburn Shire, selecting urban and wild sites in which to proof my practice.  As a wild space, I will start working in the Wombat State Forest, engaging with the traditional custodians, the Dja Dja Wurrung people, and connecting with Wombat Forestcare.  After working with these groups to build my own knowledge, I propose to further engage community, beginning with a number of walking events that will explore the creation of temporal interiors within the wild environment.  These temporal interiors, created through acts of commoning, will create a space to share skills and knowledge of the local area and habitat, and aim to establish a deeper connection to land and heighten awareness to the threat of its ephemerality.

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As my urban environment, I will explore the site and history of the historic Trentham Railway Station.  Originally opened in 1880 as part of the Daylesford-Carlsruhe line, the station has been closed since 1978.  The site is now managed by volunteers as a place of historical significance.  In recent years, however, sections of the old railroad have reopened between Daylesford and Musk, and increased tourism in the area means that further restoration of the tracks as far as Trentham has been discussed. This site provides the opportunity to further consider concepts of history and socio-cultural significance and explore the complex effect of tourism on small communities and the linking of disparate urban environments.

 

How could this process be applied in a practical sense to the field of interior design and construction? Could it be incorporated into town planning to encourage community engagement and awareness of land use?

 

The vision for the final presentation is a collection of drawings, diagrams, photographs and films documenting this process across a number of sites. Along-side this, would sit an archive of physical material tests and a reflection on the process. Whilst I have clear goals for the basis of this project, it is important that I allow the process and sites be the driving force behind my work for the semester.  The process I hope to develop is by its very nature reactive and sensitive to the reflective relationship between both site and material and practitioner and community.  My aim is to present a mode of interior design that is regenerative to land, materials and community, one that begins with me and expands outwards.