The M12 will provide access to the future Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport at Badgerys Creek.
Through Balarinji’s cultural design principles methodology, a deep Aboriginal sense of place informed the earliest stages of M12 design.
From research and collaboration with endorsed local Aboriginal community members, Balarinji created an interpretation plan to activate the corridor’s Aboriginal narrative. The overarching theme of “Interconnectedness” depicts the central Aboriginal tenet of physical and spiritual belonging to Country. Art and interpretive elements that express the theme across the M12 will acknowledge local Aboriginal history and the Aboriginal community’s contemporary story.
Balarinji’s methodology included:
- Deep, authentic engagement with verified local community members
- Thorough, peer-reviewed desktop research
- Workshop methodology to facilitate local Aboriginal knowledge holders and creative professionals to articulate and interpret an authentic knowledge for conceptual interpretation
- Translating the site’s core Aboriginal narrative for the M12 Design Team to integrate local Aboriginal cultural interpretation
- Commitment to offering opportunity and building capacity in the Aboriginal creative community, by fostering local art practice and by growing partnerships with established and emerging Aboriginal architects and designers.
