An immersive First Nations experience at this year’s AILA Festival

The 2022 Festival of Landscape Architecture: COUNTRY will bring together Elders, Traditional Custodians and First Nations designers, artists and practitioners in conversation with landscape architects.

The Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) event will run from 13-16 October at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre in Magandjin (Brisbane).

This year’s festival is curated by Blaklash Creative, LatStudios and Claudia Taborda as Creative Directors – they write: “It is critical for all involved in shaping urban environments to join with First Nations people to gain a deeper understanding of Country as we prepare our cities for the complex challenges of climate change.”

The program therefore seeks to build “on the important work and ongoing conversations that have been happening within and adjacent to the discipline, about connecting to, caring for and designing with Country.”

Street Furniture Australia is delighted to support AILA, and the festival, in our seventh consecutive year as a National partner.

The 2022 program includes:

Official Welcome to Country
Thursday October 13
Riverside Green, South Bank
From 5.00pm
RSVP essential as part of registration. Includes light refreshments. 

COUNTRY Conference
Friday October 14 to Saturday October 15
Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre
Tickets available on the COUNTRY website. (Now sold out.)

This year’s conference will focus on the meaning of Country and designing with Country, with two days of conversations along six themes.

The curatorial project is led by Troy Casey from Blaklash Creative with support from LatStudios and Claudia Taborda from Queensland University of Technology (QUT). A group of First Nations QUT alumni and students have been providing integral support to the curatorial direction.

The Creative Directors have been yarning with Elders, First Nations designers and the AILA Connection to Country Committee to align COUNTRY with parallel conversations.

Painting by Casey Coolwell-Fisher and Murri School Donation
Friday October 14 to Saturday October 15
Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, South Brisbane

Breakout spaces for COUNTRY will be furnished by Street Furniture Australia with the sleek and minimalist Linea range, in Earthy Pastel colours. Artist Casey Coolwell-Fisher, a Quandamooka, Nunukul woman of Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island, Queensland), will hand paint a Linea Bench at the conference.

Following the festival, the Linea products – valued at $40,000 – will be donated to The Murri School, a local Aboriginal and Islander Independent Community School in Acacia Ridge, Brisbane.

National Landscape Architecture Awards
Friday October 14
State Library of Queensland, South Brisbane
From 6.30pm
In-person cocktail function and digital tickets available on the AILA website.

An evening of celebration as we recognise and celebrate the very best of Australian and international landscape architecture.

The Street Furniture Australia After Party
Saturday October 15
The Plough Inn, South Brisbane
From 5.30pm
Sign up to attend during conference registration, or update your event profile any time.

Relax and celebrate this year’s festival with drinks, good food and fun giveaways. Hosted by Street Furniture Australia.