Placemaking project are, by nature, co-created, inclusive and aim to engage the local community. The Living Pavilion, being located within the University of Melbourne, specifically developed an Ambassador Program to engage a selection of students in the implementation, delivery and research process of The Living Pavilion.

The Ambassador team is formed by seven talented women of diverse backgrounds and study disciplines across the university and beyond. This includes backgrounds in conservation, environmental science, architecture, visual arts, and sociology. They demonstrated a high level of interest in the project and a desire to understand the impact of temporary events on community perspectives of place.

What do the students contribute to the project?

Each Ambassador has committed a total of 30 research hours in the following activities: research training, installation, on-site survey effort, on-site observations, program assistance, and post-festival data discussion and analysis. Their active efforts will bring in a large amount of data to understand how people use the site during the festival and help engage the public in the evaluation and feedback of the installation itself. They will keep a journal of their observations. They are considered co-researchers on this project.

What do the students gain?

The specific activities conducted by each student are tailored to their interests. Thus, they will learn and practice skills relevant to their individual disciplines while enhancing their social research skills in general. The students interests include:

• Participating in collaborative and artistic implementation of event spaces;
• Practicing and enhance their social research skills;
• Attending and work with the event program;
• Learning more about First Nations history and perspectives.

Gabrielle Lewis
Master of Architecture

https://gablewis.wixsite.com/portfolio
https://www.instagram.com/gabmlewis/

Gabrielle is in her final semester of the Master of Architecture at the Melbourne School of Design and has worked at ClarkeHopkinsClarke Architects since 2016. She has also worked as a set designer for student and independent theatre productions as a parallel to her architectural education which has fostered an interest in the temporary nature of scenography as a contrast to the supposed permanence of architecture.

Jane Chen
Bachelor of Arts – Honours in Sociology

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chen-jane/

Jane is a fourth-year Bachelor of Arts student, completing her Honours in Sociology. Passionate about issues of social division, inequality and development, she is interested in the role of place-making projects in building more inclusive communities, and the significance of physical environments in people’s identities.

Chelsea Matthews
Masters of Environment, Sustainable Cities Stream

Chelsea is in her first year of the Masters of Environment at the Office of Environmental Programs. With a background in Environmental Science, she is focused on understanding sustainability and is interested in exploring what that means for urban areas, event spaces and placemaking alike.

Victoria Seek
Seeck Master of Environment, Conservation and Restoration

https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriaseeck/

Victoria is in her second semester of the Master of Environment’s Conservation and Restoration stream. As an international student with a background in international relations/conflict studies, she is interested in learning about the importance of conservation, art and understanding of the local environment has in creating a sense of place and community.

Lucia Amies
Master of Architecture

https://www.luciaamies.com.au/

Lucia graduated with a Bachelor of Architectural Design from the University of Queensland in 2014. Working in architectural practice for several years since, she’s also dappled in visual art and ceramic pursuits, and in 2018, co-edited the Melbourne School of Design’s Inflection journal. Currently, Lucia is completing a Master of Architecture at the University of Melbourne, where she tutors undergraduate designers. Her interests lie at the intersection of architecture and landscape, with particular fascination for nature tourism and spatial mnemonics.

Mimmalisa Trifilò
Master of Contemporary Art

Mimmalisa is a Melbourne-based interdisciplinary artist currently enrolled in the Master of Contemporary Art. Her artwork reflects notions of pedagogy, cultural exchange and ecology. Mimmalisa has staged exhibitions in conventional gallery contexts, and she is interested in the potential of engaging publics in alternative settings. Her theatre designs have been installed in the George Fairfax and Belvoir Street Theatres, and her photographs are held in private collections. Mimmalisa is the Production Designer of Carbon Whore, an award-winning short film, directed by disability advocate, the late Stella Young.

Rachel
PhD Candidate – Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT

Building on a background in anthropology and arts management, Rachel is currently completing a PhD within the Centre of Urban Research at RMIT university, exploring the intangible cultural heritage of repurposed public space, and its implications on the cultural democracy of our cities and built environments. She has previously worked in different arts festival contexts and as a freelance producer, and is particularly interested in public and intervention art as a form of subversive placemaking and reclamation, and human-centric design thinking. She has also become a valuable member of TLP research team where she is leading an ethnographic study conducted by the Pavilion Ambassadors.