Bushfire Recovery Assist Exhibition - Corowa
by georgie james - victoria based media stringer
Corowa-based architecture practice Regional Design Service hosted an exhibition on Friday, 21 May in their studio gallery. The exhibition explored the role of 18 architecture practices in bushfire recovery projects.
Curated by Graduate of Architecture Callum Andrews and produced with the assistance of the Alastair Swayn Foundation, ‘threeninefivenine’ began as a research project.
The intent was to investigate, map and present how architects have previously intervened and provided assistance to bushfire affected communities, in contrast to the current methods of assistance being provided by architects after the devastating 2019–20 Australian bushfire season.
“I wanted to examine what the role of architects is in the re-making of public and private space after bushfires, and how they play a role in responding, assisting, performing and generating mitigation across design for bushfire-prone communities of Australia,” said Callum.
Presenting the culmination of his research, the exhibition featured an interview from each of the practices, highlighting a project the respective architects are working on that is assisting individuals or communities in recovery after being affected by bushfires; whether through the re-design of a house that was lost or a new building in a bushfire prone area.
Accompanying the interview was a display of architectural models, drawings, sketches, plans and images of the buildings, that ranged from completed works to projects that are still on the drawing board.
“Originally, the project aimed to collate information from both clients and architects involved, in order to raise questions about how we could do things better and more importantly, how architects can make radical change. However, the early conversations provided tremendous insight into the different ways individuals and practices are contributing to the profession of architecture in the bushfire sphere,” said Callum.
“As a result, the focus of his project shifted, concentrating on a larger collection of interviews which exposed specific knowledge regarding the wider design community and the commitments to bushfire design. It’s my hope that this project will prompt conversation and spread the knowledge which others have learnt or are in the process of learning about, so we can be better.”
In addition to the Alistair Swayn Foundation, the exhibition is also supported by KINK and Regional Design Service.
Aaron Nicholls and Phillip Nielsen, Directors of Regional Design Service where the exhibition was held, said “we didn’t hesitate to help Callum by providing him with a space to showcase his research. Projects such as this are critical for our industry and we’re proud to be able to share this knowledge with our regional community, clients and collaborators, many of whom were directly impacted in the bushfire crisis last yeat.”
An online publication is available for viewing at threeninefivenine.com, acting as a catalogue and archive that will service both the general public and industry as a resource of knowledge, experience and information.
