Each of us who is not Indigenous to this land is complicit in the ongoing process of its colonisation; of environments, animals and people. While capitalism teaches us to take the land for granted and to forget its autonomy, for the people whose land this is, our presence cannot be unfelt. In this workshop we ask: what does it mean to be unwelcomed on and by land?

Even the most well-meaning settler-coloniser inhabits this country thinking that our presence is benign or passive. But settlers move through and on land in ways that are fundamentally extractive, that position the world in service to us. White supremacy and anti Bla(c)kness brutally differentiate the experiences and conditions of settlement, and the same practices render the land fungible, commodifiable. Western science tells us that green space is good for our health so settlers flock to forests and rivers, traverse national parks, plant gardens and shape the soil, without questioning our place to do so. At the same time we profit off dispossession and ecocide, through economies of mining, fracking, industrial farming and land clearing. With each action, we enforce an idea of land existing entirely in relation to us - for our benefit alone. We ask the world to make us feel good and to sustain us, without permission and without deep knowing.

In this workshop we will consider how we individually and collectively inhabit this land. We will unfold what it means to be on land that never invited us. We will reflect on the presumptions of innocence and goodness that inform our everyday practices - the ways in which we avoid addressing ourselves and our daily complicities, the ways we disassociate ourselves, the ways we continue coloniser relations with or without intent. We will talk about the erasure that comes from generations of genocide and deliberate silencing. We will explore what it means to listen, even when we think there is nothing to hear. We will delve into feelings of what cannot be reconciled, where both staying and leaving might feel impossible.

This workshop will require an orientation towards discomfort and what is unknown, as a step towards combating the colonisation of minds, bodies and spirits that perpetuate the denial of Aboriginal sovereignty. Because of the nature of this workshop, we particularly encourage participants that have some familiarity with undertaking such work to apply - the conditions of the current time make it impossible to meet in person, which also affects the ways we can provide in-person support and care. As much of the workshop will be group work we encourage people to apply with a friend/s if they do not wish to work with people they might not be acquainted with as there is a responsibility for participants to actively listen to, and engage with, each other’s process. Groups will comprise 2-3 participants, however there is also the option to work alone if necessary.

The workshop will consist of two whole-group meetings at the beginning and the end of the series, and daily meetings in small groups over the week. Participants will be asked to undertake daily journaling, thinking and creative practices in response to questions and readings that we will provide. In the final workshop session, participants will report back on their process and present work from their journal.

The readings will draw only from Aboriginal and Indigenous authors and will include video and audio content. If participants have specific access needs please let us know in your application, and we will work with you to meet them. The workshop will take place over zoom.

Sessions

Welcome by Uncle Dave Wandin
One. Wednesday 5 August 2020, 11am–1pm
Two. Wednesday 12 August 2020, 11am–1pm

Daily meetings will be arranged in small project groups between the two sessions.

Workshop moderators

Laniyuk is a Larrakia, Kungarrakan and Gurindji poet and writer. Her writing is centered in land, loss and resistance to Australia’s ongoing colonisation of Aboriginal lands.

AM Kanngieser is a white German / first generation Australian currently living on Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri lands. They are a writer, facilitator and audio maker, working with silences, sounds, colonisation and environmental violence.

EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

Please note, this workshop is offered to 12 participants. Expressions of interest are due Tuesday 28 July 2020, To apply please send a short text (200 words) or audio note (2 min max) letting us know who you are and why you would like to take part to info@liquidarchitecture.org.au

Unearthing or -un-ear-thing- is a new initiative extending Liquid Architecture’s work with experimental education and pedagogy.