KKB285 Creative Enterprise 2 Creative Concept Journal

Immerse yourself in the beautiful yerrol that the Hamilton used to be with a stunning community garden full of Indigenous plants at Northshore’s Workshops Precinct. Sign up for workshops on the various ways to utilise these plants, whether as food, medicine, or something else!

5 Skills Team Needs

Outgoing & communicative -> need to be able 2 reach out to various Indigenous groups/botanists about workshops

Graphic design -> advertisement is integral to ensuring that this concept takes off

Gardening expertise -> to plant + take care of garden flora properly

Logistical excellence -> need to catalogue all plants & care needs; keep track of all workshops & registrations, payments, etc.

Key Takeaway: the precincts' principles surround sustainability, innovation, Indigenous engagement + representation, & community.

THOUGHTS

General

anxiety around walking so much for 2 hours due to my ankle injury -> very big space which could definitely use improved accessibility (wasn't actually particularly close to any public transport)

lots of sound from flights makes it hard to hear anything outside

really nice wind tunnel through the shed (can be very strong -> quite cold & slammed door, etc.)

Maritime Green is quite abstract

Hard to work on Workshops because they seem to have everything from art -> woodworking -> sport, etc. (important to remember that 1 of the challenges here is about more engagement between the venues & residents)

Water is really central to the site & EDQ's development vision

Creative Observation

Tank could be fun to experiment with -> don't really know what to do w/ it yet though

Ground around the workshops is quite cracked, rough, & raised -> adds to the "real-world" vibe, but isn't necessarily great for comfort/accessibility

Grass on the hill near the Maritime Green is quite spiky (not particularly comfy)

Subtropical rainforest plants have been incorporated by being planted in large pots -> feel like there aren't enough

Wind is quite cold because it's near the river

Maritime Green feels very connected to nature, whereas Workshops feel quite 'industrial' (unsure if this is the right word but the area is very clearly manmade) -> feel more of an emotional connection to the Maritime Green but feel like there's potentially more opportunities within the Workshops challenges in Client Brief

Site is actually quite close to the ocean

Questions (& Answers)

What was the waterfront when it was open to the public 150 years ago? industrial port that most recently exported sand, gravel, concrete, etc., which were moved into ships in big warehouses before being dropped -> prior, had cold storage in shipping containers for QLD world exports (e.g. fruit, sugarcane, etc.) (answered by Vanessa from EDQ)

Is the beach on the river? Yes! (saw on way back to ferry) -> not really much of a beach lol

What kind of wildlife frequents the area? How can we interact with them in a way that keeps both parties safe?

POTENTIAL IDEAS

Workshops

escape rooms (themed?)

maze

art workshops -> w/ focus on a particular minority group (e.g. Indigenous art/class for Indigenous ppl)

cooking classes -> perhaps linked to traditional Indigenous foods of area/utilising Indigenous plants

community garden of Indigenous plants (maybe like the one at Southbank where there's "picking") -> classes on the different uses/applications of the plants

perfumes made of Indigenous plants

showcase of Indigenous fashion design

discounts on events for tenants to increase community engagement

swimming pool -> defeats purpose of opening up waterfront, though? (could maybe do an infinity pool?)

big tree in middle of area -> affirmation tree? fairy lights? tree-stage?

time capsules

Maritime Green

tour on ferry/watch smth on shore from ferry -> Vanessa said that EDQ does not have authority on the water (but can talk to other gov department pretty easily)

water park/water play area for children

park exercise equipment along waterfront/Kingsford Smith Drive

giant communal board games

social sports (tournaments?)

birdbaths

bird-feeding (e.g. Springbrook National Park)

explore an old-time industrial export ship (similar to Diamantina @ Maritime Museum)

interactive educational games for kids (similar to those in QLD Museum's Playasaurus Garden)

Key Takeaways: I felt a strong connection to the use of plants & am interested in potentially following that up further in my creative concept, though I'm not quite sure what exactly I can do with this yet.

Yerrol (Rainforest Vine)

bittersweet revelation that this was what the area used to be -> it's become a beautiful urban area with cool development potential, but makes me realise just how much of the bush was destroyed for 'settlement' (i.e. colonisation)

concept of towrie (main hunting/resource area) is new to me but feel that it connects to the concept of placemaking in terms of the ideas that it's a specific place for ppl to come together -> Vanessa said during the site visit that it was almost a holiday destination for Indigenous ppl; reminds me of QUT Gardens Point's Dughuba ('The Gathering Place') where Cultural Bites is held every year

Useful Plants

reminds me of home (Sri Lanka) -> grandparents own a farm and live @ top of a rainforest mountain; parents know so much more about the names, properties & qualities of plants than I've ever known

different uses of plants is definitely something that I would like to know more about -> would also allow today's community to reconnect with nature/potentially even save lives (e.g. antihistamine properties)

Boats & Waterways

used river to cross to/from North to South & vice versa

had different types of canoes & rafts (all made of natural materials)

eventually competed in regattas with white settlers, but kept winning, so the colonisers made 2 separate leagues -> Indigenous ppl didn't want to compete against each other, though, so this tradition died out

lot of Indigenous jobs were also on boats -> 'saved' a lot of shipwrecks & got boats as rewards

Camps & Racism

nomadic Indigenous communities set up many camps in (now) North Shore area

all Aboriginals chased across Breakfast Creek during the evening in the 1850s (still remembered as a 'battle line' in Indigenous communities)

some Indigenous ppl began to retaliate, robbing white ppl passing through the area, resulting in further repercussions -> rioting, pillaging & attacking on both sides eventually caused most camps to be abandoned

This is the "ghandapana" (literally translating to "emitting odour") flower. My garden in Sri Lanka was full of these, which is what made me think of them as a plant that I feel an emotional connection to. They look so pretty, but they smell TERRIBLE!

I also have a spiritual connection to jasmine ("pichcha") flowers, because they are the most common offering in South Asian Buddhism :)

Key Takeaways: the river is extremely significant to the site and EDQ, so I must take it into account if choosing the Maritime Green challenge.

Notes

Priority Dev Area (PDA) for EDQ

has included industrial + port uses, modern residential living, retail, dining + entertainment

very significant export area for QLD

used to also be an area for pleasure boats

sports is central to Northshore's historical identity

was used for war purposes during WWII

from 2000-2020, began to rly focus on placemaking projects

RIVER, RIVER, RIVER!

Thoughts

document kept referring to 'reclaiming' the land from Indigenous ppl -> implicit racism

not quite sure how 2 incorporate river without going onto it

I drew up a mind map of all of my different ideas and how they might be interrelated!

I then went through and eliminated ideas that I thought were less feasible or that I didn't feel as much of a connection to.

Key Takeaways: chosen to address Challenge 1, specifically parts a) and b).

Key: green = yes (challenge addressed); red = no (challenge not addressed)

Key Takeaways: whittled down to just 2 concepts!

I've narrowed down to the 2 main concepts that I feel most connected to:

I've combined the escape room and maze ideas into the concept of a scavenger hunt around the Workshops Precinct, likely incorporating an escape room and a mini-maze.

Key Takeaways: placemaking is integral to EDQ's mission statement around the urban renewal of Northshore, so any concepts I have must adhere to its principles.

Lecture Notes

v much about values of community in the place

focus on creating vibrant, inclusive & people-centred public spaces

aims to revitalise urban areas & improve social interactions (foster a sense of belonging)

Applying to My Ideas

both concepts add smth new to space, so defs revitalises urban area

scavenger hunt doesn't necessarily improve social interaction, though perhaps if it was done in teams

Conclusions

decided on community garden of Indigenous plants concept -> improves social interaction between (current & future) tenants of Workshops Precinct including small businesses, athletes & residents; & also between Indigenous & non-Indigenous communities (much needed after post-colonial tension)

garden's also better from a practical (especially economic) perspective -> scavenger hunt is harder to renew often, meaning it doesn't match EDQ's goal of having ppl re-visit the site coz of this activation

Blaze

Indigenous Plants at Northshore

Northshore already has these big shipping containers full of some Indigenous sub-tropical plants. However, there aren't even any signs to inform people about what these plants actually are. I want to build on this by creating a larger and communally accessible garden full of these plants that would've been all over Northshore in its days of being sub-tropical rainforest. I also want to incorporate some classes and/or workshops about what these plants are, and how they can be used, for example in food or medicinally.

Pros

includes Indigenous plants -> allows for conservation of these plants

lets people view these plants around the entire space

Cons

doesn't inform about even what the plants are (let alone their functions & potential applications)

not enough of the plants

plants'ren't integrated throughout the site, but rather set in specific containers (seems like they've simply been "introduced" into an environment that isn't native to them)

Epicurious Garden (Southbank)

I went to State High, so I spent a lot of time in and around Southbank over those 6 years, and I became extremely familiar with it. I remember being extremely excited when the Epicurious Garden popped up! It's a communal garden run by volunteers, from which visitors can pick and use herbs (and sometimes fruits & veggies) at certain points in the year.

Pros

encourages social engagement with the space & with other ppl using the garden/volunteering -> fosters sense of community

provides free resources to people who potentially may not be able to avoid it

aesthetic

integrates nature into urban area

Cons

uses of plants still aren't really provided/taught

Indigenous plants'ren't really accounted for

food focused -> doesn't consider multiplicity of potential uses (e.g. medicine)

Brisbane City Council's Free Native Plants Program: "offers a range of plants to enable the community to cultivate a greener and more sustainable Brisbane. The native species provided through the program will help grow our city’s urban forest and support wildlife," (Brisbane City Council, 27th July 2023) -> can have as a business partner in venture if they can be registered community group and/or residential body corporate.

Sources

What Plants should be Included? considering plants that are shown as being native to Hamilton, and are also included in the free Indigenous plant species that the Brisbane City Council provides

blue flax lily (dianella caerulea) -> attracts birds & lizards; edible blueberries; leaves traditionally used for cord & string; fruit juice can serve as antiseptic for sea ulcers

matrush (lomandra filiformis) -> attracts lizards & frogs; edible base of leaves, flowers & seeds; roots were used as medicine for insect bites

tea tree (leptospermum whitei) -> attracts insects & bees; leaves crushed & inhaled to alleviate colds/coughs; creating tea tree oil (anti-bacterial & anti-fungal)

bottlebrush (callistemon) -> attracts birds & insects; can make tea out of leaves & blossoms

myrtle (melaleuca; backhousia) -> attracts birds & insects; edible flowers, leaves & berries; creating oil (anti-bacterial & anti-fungal)

banksia (banksia) -> attracts birds; edible flowers, leaves & seeds; leaves can make tea; root is anthelmintic

tukeroo (cupaniopsis anacardioides) -> attracts birds, bees & insects; edible fruit & tubers

Implementation Plan

As the Northshore Hamilton area is legally owned by EDQ, it qualifies as Council land, making it an area that is automatically eligible to receive 50 free plants from the Brisbane City Council

EDQ requests plants listed above from Council -> utilises existing plants to grow more

once garden is eventually developed, public access opens, within specified time periods

classes/workshops will be led by willing members of Indigenous communities/people who are well-versed in botany -> free/discounted tickets for site residents; payments generate revenue for EDQ

Sources

Native plant species

Council offers a variety of plants through the Free Native Plants Program, suitable for all garden types and sizes.

BRISBANE.QLD.GOV.AU

PPNN.ORG.AU

Blue Flax Lilly - Dianella caerulea - Care Guide

Dianella caerulea! Commonly known as the blue flax-lily, blueberry lily, or paroo lily, this sub-tropical is native across the eastern state

MELBOURNE BUSHFOOD

'POKULBI' PAROO LILY / BLUE FLAX (Dianella caerulea) 'Bush Tucker Plant Seeds'

A plant which keeps growing from year to year. It forms mats. It grows to 0.75 m high and spreads to 0.4 m across.A hardy perennial native h

EDIBLE OZ

GREEN / CREEK MAT RUSH (Lomandra hystrix) 'Bush Tucker Plant Seeds'

Lomandra hystrix, commonly known as green mat-rush, or creek mat-rush, is a perennial, rhizomatous herb found throughout eastern Australia.

EDIBLE OZ

Tea Tree: The Protector - Wonderground

An exploration of the historical, medicinal and cultural uses of the Australian Tea Tree. A lovely read!

WONDERGROUND|GEORGINA REID

Bottlebrush Tree: Tea, Medicinal Uses & Growing Guide | ForagingGuru

Bottlebrush trees can be used as a gorgeous evergreen shrub for borders and gardens. They are also edible and great for making tea.

FORAGINGGURU

Are Myrtle Flowers Edible?

Common myrtle shrubs (Myrtus communis) produce beautiful, small white flowers during summer and fall. Although these flowers look attractive

PETAL REPUBLIC|EDWARD HODSDON

MYRTLE: Overview, Uses, Side Effects, Precautions, Interactions, Dosing and Reviews

Learn more about MYRTLE uses, effectiveness, possible side effects, interactions, dosage, user ratings and products that contain MYRTLE.

WEBMD.COM

medicinal herbs: BANKSIA ROSE - Rosa banksiae

Natutal medicine can heal your body and mind. Medicinal herbs: Banksia Rose (Rosa banksiae)

NATURALMEDICINALHERBS.NET

FILES-PREPROD-D9.NORTHERNBEACHES.NSW.GOV.AU

I created a timeline to demonstrate the feasibility of the concept, & how it can be delivered within the next few years :)

Sources

RESPONSE TO THE SITE & CLIENT BRIEF

How does my creative concept respond to and activate the site? It considers the yerrol that existed at the site before colonisation, re-introducing native plant species to the Workshops Precinct, which currently seems very industrial, as mentioned in my recorded observations during the site visit. My creative concept activates the site as it encourages community engagement with nature!

Does it address one of the client's key challenges? My creative concept addresses Challenge 1 in the Client Brief, enhancing the interconnection, inclusiveness, and accessibility to and within the Workshops Precinct. As mentioned above, it increases interconnection between the residents and community, who can gather near the garden and share their wisdoms. Inclusiveness of Indigenous communities are also enhanced. Accessibility within the Precinct is enhanced by this concept, as residents can learn to be more self-reliant, and are able to get some food from right outside their doorstep. Specifically, part b) of this Challenge - "interventions that attract and better connect wider community to the Workshops Precinct" - is addressed by my concept, as non-residents are also able to visit this community garden and learn from the classes and workshops held here.

Does it reflect the client's objectives, vision and brand? Absolutely! According to the Client Brief, EDQ wants to utilise this concept to attract visitors to Northshore, especially from Monday-Thursday, and daylight hours Friday-Sunday. The Indigenous plant garden will likely achieve this, as gardening is far easier in the day time, and workshops could run on weekday afternoons/evenings to encourage visitation during these times whilst still accounting for peoples' work/school schedules. Furthermore, the Client Brief stated that the concepts need to consider the history of the site. As aforementioned, my concept directly connects to Northshore's Indigenous history. This concept addresses EDQ's target audiences of residents, visitors, and youth. Residents will gain the most benefit from this activation, with regular access to the garden and workshops, and cheaper tickets to the workshops. Visitors can also benefit from the workshops, enhancing their Northshore experience. Finally, this garden provides an immensely educational experience for youth. All of these benefits combined ensure that my concept meets EDQ's purpose "to challenge the conventions of business, culture and lifestyle with bold and new experiences for all of Brisbane."

Does it fill a need/gap at Northshore? If so, how? My concept fills a very important gap at Northshore - the current lack of engagement with native flora and fauna. This Indigenous garden will also encourage native animals to visit the site, as many of these plants provide food and shelter for Indigenous wildlife (Brisbane City Council, 2023).

ORIGINALITY

Is my concept site-specific? My concept is site-specific, because it involves native plants from the Northshore area.

Does it enhance Northshore's features? Yes! Firstly, it enhances the geographical, historical, and cultural features of Northshore by incorporating Indigenous plants that would've covered the area pre-colonisation. Furthermore, the physical features of the Workshops Precinct are enhanced, because there is currently a large blank piece of ground/road in the middle of the area.

What is my creative contribution (if it is a space/venue/event, what is its content/program)? My creative contribution is to host different and consistent workshops/events about the different uses of the plants, focusing mainly on food but also medicinal and practical applications.

Can my project be easily produced/replicated without my creative involvement? (If so, you may need to focus on a different concept) This led to a slight roadblock for me, as theoretically it is an idea that could be expanded in other areas. To ensure that the originality is maintained, I propose that we also decorate the garden with Indigenous artwork from the Yuggera and Turrbal people. While a similar idea could be implemented elsewhere, which would be beneficial for those areas, this exact concept could not be produced/replicated without my creative involvement. Additionally, the creation of something similar elsewhere does not detract from the originality of this concept, because each area in Australia has its own Indigenous plants with their own unique uses.

How does my concept compare to existing creative projects (locally, nationally, overseas)? Locally, the most similar existing project is the Epicurious Garden at Southbank. However, as I mentioned in a previous post, this garden does not consist of Indigenous plants, per se, and there are no classes provided on the uses of these plants. When researching similar national projects, I have found multiple courses on the identification of these plants, or for the growing, but there have been none explaining the different applications (see image below). No similar international projects could be found.

AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT, ETHICS, & DIVERSITY

Who is my target audience? (You must identify one, specifying an age group) My specific target audience are the residents that will be living in the community housing in the Workshops Precinct, especially those aged between 18-25, who may just be figuring out how to live alone.

How can my project inspire, ethically engage, & sustain this target audience? My project can inspire, ethically engage, and sustain this target audience because it helps them learn to be self-sufficient.

Can my project attract a wider audience (beyond the target group)? Yes! As mentioned in all my previous posts, this project honestly attracts an extremely wide audience, including children, the elderly, immigrants, etc.

Will (and why would) visitors (re-)visit Northshore to engage with my project? I absolutely believe that visitors would visit Northshore to engage with my project, as its unique value proposition is something completely novel to Meanjin (Brisbane). People would also likely revisit as there would be a rotating roster of classes and workshops throughout the years, and the variety of plants could also be expanded.

FEASIBILITY, SUSTAINABILITY, & ENDURING SIGNIFICANCE

Does my concept fall within the client's budget and timeframe? As shown in the budget post (coming soon), my concept does fall within the client's budget! Whilst the client has not provided a specific timeframe, my Implementation Timeline shows that this project is deliverable in the next few years, thereby allowing it to be fully ready by the 2032 Olympics.

Is my project a one-off, or can it be refreshed/adapted/delivered in stages/on multiple occasions? My project is definitely not a one-off. As mentioned above, it can absolutely be refreshed with a new rotation of Indigenous plants, and/or different classes/workshops. It can be adapted into different locations to include the native plants of that specific area. As shown in the Implementation Timeline, it will definitely need to be delivered in multiple stages.

Is it sustainable (environmentally and economically) and can it withstand the test of time? This concept is definitely environmentally sustainable, as it's revitalising the native flora of the Hamilton area. Likewise, it is economically sustainable as demonstrated in the budget. It can withstand the test of time, given that it is well-maintained, and can nourish generations to come.

Key Takeaways: My concept meets all necessary Indigenous engagement protocols!

As my creative concept centres heavily around Indigenous knowledge and artwork, it is significant that the necessary guidelines are followed to ensure ethical integrity and cultural sensitivity.

RELEVANT RIGHTS UNDER INDIGENOUS CULTURAL & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (ICIP) (AUSTRALIA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS, 2019)

Own & Control ICIP; Authorise/Refuse Commercial Use of ICIP According to Indigenous Customary Law: As per the guidelines, the Indigenous artists/workshop leaders involved in this concept have the right to own and control the relevant ICIP, meaning that they could choose to replicate this artwork or share this same knowledge elsewhere. EDQ cannot reproduce the artwork or share the knowledge without the person's explicit consent.

Maintain the Secrecy of Indigenous Knowledge & Other Cultural Practices: Should the workshop facilitator not want to share specific Indigenous knowledge, they will not be required to do so. The content of the workshop will be discussed, negotiated, and consolidated before the workshop programs are released to the public.

Full & Proper Attribution: The artists' name and any social media handles will be clearly displayed near the garden. Any workshop leaders will receive full credit in programs, marketing materials, etc.

FACETS OF ICIP LINKED TO THE CONCEPT

traditional scientific & ecological knowledge

literary, performing, & artistic works

CHECKING!

I have seen Indigenous artwork around much of Meanjin, so I am confident that this does not go against customary Indigenous law, except perhaps under very specific circumstances. However, I was not at all aware of the customary laws surrounding ecological knowledge. Many results of shared ecological knowledge appeared during my research, but the one that most confirmed to me that sharing this knowledge is generally acceptable according to customary Indigenous law is the Atlas of Living Australia's Indigenous Ecological Knowledge (IEK) program, which has been implemented in various locations around the nation to "enable and empower greater Indigenous participation in biodiversity information management and assessment, and to support other aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people related to ecological or biodiversity knowledge," (ALA, n.d.).

This is a map showing the locations of some of ALA's current and future IEK projects.

SOURCES

file:///C:/Users/61404/Documents/Uni/Creative%20Industries/KKB285%20Creative%20Enterprise%20Studio%202/Week%204%20(Indigenous%20Engagement%20&%20Protocols)/Protocols%20for%20Using%20First%20Nations%20Art.pdf

Blaze

https://www.daleysfruit.com.au/Rainforest/callistemon.htm

Here is a bird's eye view of the proposed garden!

Here is a mockup for a very basic poster for the concept, following Northshore's Design Guidelines!