Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, please be aware the Kaunitz Yeung Architecture website contains images of deceased persons.
The Kaunitz Yeung Architecture team acknowledges all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across the nation.
We recognise the original Custodians of Country, their ongoing connection to the land, sky, seas, cultures and communities - paying our respects to Elders, past and present.
Some lessons cannot be taught in a studio. They have to be experienced with community on Country.
These moments from the University of Sydney’s recent studio trip to Wilcannia, led by Marni Reti and David Kaunitz, only begin to capture the energy and richness of the experience.
At the Baaka Cultural Centre, students and staff were welcomed into a week of learning grounded in Barkindji culture, community and Country. Local knowledge and cultural practices were shared through art, performance and language, alongside walks on Country, a cook-up by the Baaka and storytelling under the stars.
The week also included a visit to Merrima’s Wilcannia Health Service and opportunities to explore the town’s significant collection of heritage buildings. These experiences were accompanied by more difficult observations of the impacts of human intervention on Country, including pollution of the Baaka and the legacy of widespread deforestation around Broken Hill.
A central part of the immersion was the exchange of knowledge across generations and disciplines. Elders, community leaders and young people shared their perspectives alongside studio leaders David Kaunitz and Marni Reti, local architect Anthony Pierce, and practitioners Joshua Zoeller, Shelley Indyk, Evy Anwar and Tom Hearn.
Together with an engaged cohort of Master of Architecture students, these conversations created a week of listening, reflection and learning that will continue to inform the students’ design work throughout the semester.
The studio and on-Country immersion were made possible with the support of Kaunitz Yeung Architecture, Acoustic Logic, Mirvac, Jasmax, Guida Moseley Brown Architects, the University of Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning, and the University of Sydney.