Dja Dja Wurrung
Victoria
Maryborough is situated on Dja Dja Wurrung country in central Victoria, Wurundjeri. The project comprises of the Art Gallery and an Indigenous Interpretive Sculpture Garden. Nervegna Reed were engaged to design the gallery and Djandak (arm of Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation) designed the sculpture garden. The two aspects of the projects are integral to a cultural decolonising of Maryborough. The CGAG site sits at the end of the 19th century civic spine which extends to the Maryborough train station.
The aim was to revitalise the buildings while including Djaara history and culture, to correct the dominance (and violence) of colonial history and ideology. The design aimed to allow for the incorporation of multiple stories into the spaces, to ‘surgically’ cut into the 19th century fabric of the building to reveal other histories, viewpoints, and to avoid the dominant ideology of the Victorian.
Nervegna Reed’s design merges the historic elements of a 19th century fire station with the contemporary standards for presentation of visual art to deliver a modern public gallery. Providing multiple opportunities to engage, even before stepping inside, the building opens its arms wide and encourages interaction and dialogue with its community. Framing views to an Indigenous Interpretive Garden that will reference traditional fire practices, the space is anchored to its environment. From the inside, there are further opportunities to look up and out, with the result that it is expansive and optimistic, just like the future of Central Goldfields Shire.
Toby Reed, Design Architect
Anna Nervegna, co designer
Hsin-hui Tsai, Documentation
Duke Wang, Graduate of Architecture
Bruno Rabl, Documentation
Ming Lie, Documentation
WebbConsult, Structural Engineer
Djandak, Landscape Consultant
3 Acres, Landscape Consultant
Acor, Services Consultant