Pavilion of Sand

This panel discussion features the collaborators of Pavilion of Sand, a design project created in 2022 in Wheeler Place, Newcastle, led by Awabakal architect Shellie Smith alongside Wiradjuri artist Joel Sherwood Spring, Barkindji Malyangapa artist Jasmine Craciun and Future Method founder Genevieve Murray.

The panellists will discuss how they reimagined Wheeler Place as it was before it became a paved colonial grid – a landscape of sand once moved by wind, tides and floods. During New Annual Festival 2022, sand was returned to the heart of the city as structure, ballast, shelter and seating for a pavilion that celebrated stories and cultural practices of Awabakal and Worrimi people. This included a program of dance, performance, native food workshops and language workshops.