Naarm/Melbourne always has and always will be unceded Kulin lands and waterways; the Colonial lens that has been perpetuated through design is so yesterday.

As forms of experience design within the tourism industry shift in response to COVID-19, so can the content. What stories could be told about this place we live in? As designers in this time, we are in a unique position to recalibrate the 'Melbourne' narrative to be in response to Kulin. Because, that's where we actually are.

What does 'Melbourne' look like to you? What do you know about your favourite streets and public places? In this studio you will consider your knowledge and start to build skills of capturing and responding to more diverse resources.

Stepping out of your personal design taste and current knowledge and looking at perspectives critically will enable you to consider the long history of this place; leading to the development of new design narratives that consider multiple perspectives and communicate to complex audiences on Kulin.

In this studio you will develop the skills and knowledge to design place based virtual experiences. You will consider fiction and history; how do design narratives and storytelling shape learning and behaviours? You will learn how to design with empathy; how will your audience think, act and feel in response to your work? And you will develop visual, language and timing techniques that enable you as a designer to navigate potential social discomforts; ensuring your audience are actively engaged and able to adopt new perspectives.

Students will have the opportunity to present their unique virtual tours of Naarm/Melbourne to the Singapore Institute of Management Communication Design cohort in Week 12.

For the student who produces the most exceptional work, Public Journal will offer mentorship to support the student to release their virtual tour on a public platform.

Public Journal are currently working with last year's award winning graduate designer Enya Weber to produce a visitor platform called wearehere.place in partnership with City of Yarra.

Students will be encouraged to document each week's findings in preparation for the final SKO assessment.

Brief 1: Studio Knowledge Object (SKO) 30%
Brief 2: This is fiction (Animated Communication Narrative) 30%
Brief 3: Naarm/Melbourne Virtual Tour (Experience Design) 40%

The White Possessive: Property, Power, and Indigenous Sovereignty
by Aileen Moreton-Robinson

Public Journal

Designing Experiences, Designing for Social Change, Design and the Post-Digital