DESIGN Canberra’s new Design Revisited series is a unique opportunity to celebrate design history, design education and design excellence in a city of design.

This Design Revisited event, celebrates For Our Country, the sculptural pavilion commemorating the military service and experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, by contemporary artist Daniel Boyd (Kudjala/Gangalu) and Edition Office. For Our Country won the 2020 Canberra Medallion – the highest accolade at the 2020 Australian Institute of Architecture ACT Chapter Awards.

Join artist Daniel Boyd and architects Aaron Roberts and Kim Bridgland as they reflect on this important contemporary project.

About For Our Country

For Our Country is a collaboration with Kudjla and Gangalu artist Daniel Boyd for a new pavilion at the Australian War Memorial to recognise and commemorate the military service and experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islanders who have fought to protect their country.

The sculptural pavilion is set behind a ceremonial fire pit within an 11m diameter circular stone field. On approach, visitors encounter a 10m wide two-way mirror glass façade covered in thousands of mirrored circular lenses that reflect the viewer and the Memorial across its surface. Behind the glass veil is an intimate, contemplative space with a curved back wall and seating constructed of black pigmented rammed earth from which to see back through the thousands of transparent lenses to the fire and memorial grounds beyond.

With permission from the Ngunnawal Elders, an open invitation was sent to every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Nation for soil from their lands to be offered into the ceremonial chamber at the centre of the pavilion which penetrates deep into the ground below the work. In this way each Nation is unified together in this place, where a piece of real country can act as symbolic remains of the fallen who have died in the protection of their country.

For Our Country is a space to contemplate and commemorate Indigenous connection to country and the sacrifice that Indigenous serving men and women have made and continue to make in the protection of this country. For Our Country occupies a prominent position at the Australian War Memorial Sculpture Garden in Canberra.

COVID-safe

We are curating DESIGN Canberra with COVID-safe restrictions in mind.

This event is planned as an in-person presentation by Edition Office and Dan Boyd. If travel restrictions mean that the artist and designers cannot travel to Canberra, the designers’ presentation will be given online and live streamed. It will be free to attend the virtual event online. Details of the streaming platform will be released in late October.

Even if the designers need to deliver the presentation remotely, the in-person event will proceed. This will be an opportunity to connect with other decision makers and thought leaders in your sector, and potentially ask questions in the Q&A session after the presentation.