The Living Pavilion was an Indigenous-led regenerative placemaking project which took place at the University of Melbourne as part of CLIMARTE’s ‘ART+CLIMATE=CHANGE’ festival (1-17 May 2019). The Living Pavilion was a living laboratory and temporary event space featuring a landscape design of 40,000 Kulin Nation plants that celebrated Indigenous knowledge, ecological science and sustainable design through participatory arts practice. The project was co-produced by the THRIVE Hub (Melbourne School of Design), Clean Air and Urban Landscapes Hub (CAUL) of the National Environmental Science Program and The New Student Precinct (University of Melbourne). A key aim was to identify how temporary event spaces can act as ‘testing grounds’ for long-term potential of place.

We would like to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the project took place, the Wurundjeri peoples of the Woi Wurrung language group, part of the greater Eastern Kulin Nations. We pay our respects to Wurundjeri Elders, past, present and emerging. We honour the deep spiritual, cultural and customary connections of the Traditional Custodians to the landscape and ecology of the land on which The Living Pavilion is located. We acknowledge that this land, of which we are beneficiaries, was never ceded and endeavour to reflect and take consistent action to address this harmful circumstance. We are especially grateful for the contributions of many First Peoples involved in our project and their generosity to share their culture and knowledge with us. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all our collaborators on The Living Pavilion, including the Clean Air and Urban Landscapes Hub (CAUL) of the National Environmental Science Program, THRIVE Hub (Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning), the New Student Precinct of the University of Melbourne’s Parkville campus, CLIMARTE’s ART+CLIMATE=CHANGE 2019 Festival, Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA), Ecodynamics, Next Wave, Place Agency, BILI Nursery, 226 Strategic, Graduate Student Association (GSA), The Living Stage, Garawana Creative, Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute and Sustainability Team @Unimelb.