The Black Cockatoo Collective

[blackcockatoocollective]

On-Site Meeting At the ICCC

On October 3rd, we made our first visit to the ICCC to meet with Peter from Wollongong Rotary and Katie, the Project Manager at ICCC. The meeting was an opportunity to familiarise ourselves with the spaces we would be working with. As Katie guided us through the various spaces, we got to know one another and learn more about the existing ideas for the spaces. We saw the three key spaces; the garden beds, the facade at the entryway, and the mezzanine. Seeing the spaces in person gave us a good indication of how they are interacted with by the staff and patients. The view of Mount Keira informed some of our ideas regarding plants (Gymea Lily) After the tour and a thorough conversation, our collective stayed in the mezzanine a little longer to unpack the meeting over coffee. We collected the following photos and notes during our time.

Photos of spaces

Meeting Notes

[blackcockatoocollective]

References and Supporting Material

Cooper Marcus, Clare, 2007, Healing Gardens in Hospitals, IDRP: Interdisciplinary Design & Research e-Journal, Vol.1, Iss.1, January 2007, https://www.brikbase.org/sites/default/files/Healing%20Gardens%20in%20Hospitals.pdf, NAI Publishers http://www.naipublishers.nl/architecture.html, http://www.idrp.wsu.edu,  accessed: 09.10.2024.

Kyon, Corbett, 2017, Humanist Principles, Sustainable Design & Salutogenics: A New Form of Healthcare Architecture; Architectural Design, Design for Health: Sustainable Approaches to Therapeutic Architecture, March 2017, p.56-65, eISSN:1554-2769, https://doi.org/10.1002/ad.2153, accessed:09.10.2024.

Abstract: How can healthcare designers reliably cater for both functional needs and patient wellbeing? An Evidence-based approach is the answer. Corbett Lyon, a founding director of Melbourne-based practice Lyons, explains how over the last two decades his firm has engaged with all levels of stakeholders – from managers, clinicians and administrators to patients and communities – to produce buildings that are at their service. After spending most of the twentieth century on the sidelines of this area of design, such research is allowing architects to reclaim a central role in a field that affects us all, from hospital facilities to care homes.

Nieberler-Walker, Katharina PhD Scholar; Desha, Cheryl PhD; Bosman Cary PhD, Roiko, Anne PhD; Caldera, Savindi PhD, 2023, Therapeutic Hospital Gardens: Literature Review & Working Definition, HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal, Vol.16, Iss.4, Oct 2023, p.260-295, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.1177/19375867231187154, accessed: 09.10.2024.

Abstract: This review explores the role of purposefully designed and well-integrated therapeutic hospital gardens (THGs) for the benefits of patients, their families, and staff. Significant benefits are realised when people are in contact with nature in the city. Although hospital gardens are prevalent and the beneficial effects of nature on health are widely acknowledged, the establishment of a consistent definition for hospital gardens that promote health is vital to attain reliable and quantifiable health outcomes.

Szabi, Mihaela, Dinu, Roman; Dumitras, Adekina; Mircea, Diana-Maria; Doroftei, Dana; Sestas, Paul; Boscaiu, Monica; Bruszek, Robert, 2023, Touch, feel heal: The use of hospital green spaces & landscapes as sensory therapeutic gardens: a case study in a university clinic, Frontiers in Psychology: Sec. Environmental Psychology, Vol.14, https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1201030/ful, accessed: 09.10.2024.

Abstract: It has been documented that patients with mental or physical disabilities can benefit from being placed within the setting of a natural environment. Consequently, the concept of creating spaces that can enhance health preservation or patient recovery, while also augmenting environmental and aesthetic value, has merged as a contemporary discourse. Green areas around hospitals can offer a great opportunity to incorporate healing gardens to benefit their patients and not only. The aim of this paper is to propose a design for a sensory-therapeutic garden based on key principles derived from selected academic literature, focusing on the application of these principles in a healthcare setting in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The design was informed also by onsite data collection and analysis, and it aims to create a healing landscape that addresses the needs of patients, healthcare providers, and visitors. This study seeks to augment the discourse in the field by demonstrating the practical application of key therapeutic garden design principles in a specific context and how these principles impacted the design process.

Wang, Quying; Tzortzi, Nerantzia, Julia, 2023, Design Guidelines for healing gardens in the general hospital, Frontiers in Public Health: Sec. Environmental Health & Exposome, December 2023, Milan, Italy, Vo.11, https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1288586/full, accessed:09.10.2024.

Abstract: 

Introduction: Despite being recognized as a cost-effective method to enhance physical and mental health, Healing Gardens remain insufficiently popularised in outdoor spaces of hospitals. This paper aims to introduce a new perspective and offer guidelines for their implementation within general hospitals.

Methods: A methodology is proposed for formulating hospital-specific guidelines, encompassing the extraction of successful Healing Garden features from case studies, definition of key components grounded in theoretical frameworks, validation of essential features through user questionnaires, and comprehensive site analyses.

Results: The methodology was applied in a case study at Zhongnan Hospital in Wuhan. This research presents a novel perspective and robust methodology for implementing Healing Gardens in general hospital settings, potentially improving physical and mental health in a cost-efficient manner.

Discussion: This work aims to encourage the adoption of Healing Gardens as preventive medical tools in more healthcare settings. By providing a comprehensive methodology and a case study illustration, this research endeavours to stimulate broader acceptance and utilisation of Healing Gardens in healthcare environments.

Supporting Material

Illawarra Cancer Care Centre, https://www.islhd.health.nsw.gov.au/hospitals/wollongong-hospital/services-clinics/illawarra-cancer-care-centre-medical-oncology-0, https://www.islhd.health.nsw.gov.au/services-clinics/welcome-illawarra-shoalhaven-cancer-and-haematology-network, https://g.co/kgs/KZXDJ8a, accessed: 30.09.2024.

Lillie, J; Larson, K; Kirkwood, C; Brown, J, (eds), 2024, The Relationship is the Project: A guide to working with communities,  New South Publishing, University New South Wales, Sydney, https://unsw.press/, ISBN: 9781742238234, accessed: August-September, 2024.

Rotary Mission, https://rotaryclubofwollongong.org.au/page/history, https://www.rotary.org/en/our-causes, accessed: 30.09.2024.

People unite to take action and make lasting change

Commitment, vision

Environmental and social wellness

Look forward to more as the project develops!

Thanx for stopping by!

Juundaal

[blackcockatoocollective]

Project Proposal: Yarning Circle

The Black Cockatoo Collective Presents…

On the 24th of October the Black Cockatoo Collective presented our proposal to CACS 200, Creative Communities class at the University of Wollongong. The Collective presented our Proposal, dressed in suits and engaged our class within the traditional Aboriginal protocol of the Yarning Circle. Juundaal opened and closed the Yarning with an Acknowledgement to Dharawal Country in both English and her traditional Bundjalung language. The primary goal of entering into the protocol of a Yarning circle is to leave people in a better condition than we found them.

The Collective outlined and shared site photographs and draft survey questions for the group to consider and invited input. Thoughtful discussions followed and we hope, interest to be involved was raised!

Collective Background: The Black Cockatoo Collective is a group of three emerging artists from various disciplines and backgrounds. Care, inclusion, self-determination, strengthening community, empowerment, collaboration and meeting our accountabilities, underpin our core values. Through direct participation our art Collective aims to achieve multiple environmental, intersectional goals in this community engaged project.

The Black Cockatoo Collective, formed as a response to a university assessment task and request for project collaboration by Rotary Wollongong and the Illawarra Cancer Care Centre (ICCC). The project aims to breathe new life into three underutilised outdoor spaces at the Centre, on the Wollongong Hospital site. The Collective will work in consultation and in line with Rotary values and goals for the project and the brief for rejuvenation of the ICCC spaces, anticipated until January 2025. Through outreach, regular consultation with our stakeholders and at the end of the project we will undertake an evaluation process to assess the project, our participation and future planning.

The Black Cockatoo Collective aims to collaborate, survey, consult and respond to stakeholder identified needs and wants for the spaces. Throughout each stage, The Collective, with Rotary and the Hospital representatives will work to transform these spaces into vibrant, healing environments that benefit the patients, staff and broader community. The project aims to engage stakeholders accessing the Centre as well as local Aboriginal Elders, artists and other community groups. It is also envisioned that the project will be supported with plants, other materials and equipment by Wollongong Botanical Gardens and Bunnings.

Our Vision: This proposal focuses on stage one of the project, the entrance gardens.

The central idea behind this project is to encourage cultural, physical and well-being healing and community connection through creating art and gardening, together. The garden, in particular, will act as a living space for reflection and regeneration, utilising native plants endemic to the Illawarra region to foster a sense of interdependence with place and local Dharawal culture. Benches, which will also function as sculptural elements, will offer both aesthetic beauty and practical comfort, providing places for rest, contemplation, and connection, with consideration for people with different mobilities.

Through outreach to groups such as Coomaditchie United Aboriginal Corporation and the Cancer Council, we will invite input and collaboration from local artists and community members. Our aim is not only to enhance the physical environment but to encourage healing through the process of community creation. A key component of our approach is to hold a community gardening day, where patients, staff, and local residents are invited to take part in the planting, symbolising the communal effort needed for both healing and growth. We want the collective voice of those who use these spaces to guide the final designs.

Thanx for stopping by!

Juundaal

[blackcockatoocollective]

Art and Healing Gardens

5 artist references for our project

Julie Paterson: Community Gardens Projects

https://www.juliepaterson.com.au/communitygardens, https://whatson.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/events/community-garden-art-project, accessed: 30.09.2024.

Hiromi Tango: Healing Garden, The Condensory, 2023-2024

https://thecondensery.com.au/healing-garden-2/, accessed: 30.09.2024.

Fiona Hall & Yaluk Langa, Healing Garden, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Victoria,  2021

https://www.heide.com.au/landscape/article_landscape_healing-garden/, accessed: 30.09.2024.

Trent Jansen & Maree Clarke

https://www.wesleyplace.com.au/images/librariesprovider10/art/0u1a2111-2.jpg?sfvrsn=31fdf474_2,

Trent Jansen: https://trentjansen.com/

Maree Clarke: https://www.australiandesignreview.com/tag/maree-clarke/, accessed:19.10.2024

“… relationships many of us form with specific rainforests constitute part of our individual and shared experiences of Australian place and identity. For others, deeply embedded in alternate ecosystems, the arid scrub or weather-beaten coastline may be the landscape most typically Australian. For many of us these natural places are intuitively linked to our comprehension…”

Trent Jansen, https://trentjansen.com/studio/, accessed: 30.09.2024.

Thanx for stopping in!

Juundaal

[blackcockatoocollective]

Project Timeline & Roles

Phase One Proposal: Entrance Gardens

By taking this thorough and collaborative approach, we are confident that the Black Cockatoo Collective will create a vibrant, healing space that reflects the needs of the ICCC community and fosters cultural and emotional well-being.

Roles

Babs: Creating visualisations and mock-ups for the space, liaising with a draughtsman to procure technical designs. Jazz: Lead outreach efforts, coordinating with Rotary, Coomaditchie, artists, and researching native plants for the garden. Juundaal: Financial planning, and drafting and proofreading all written components, ensuring that our vision is clearly communicated.

[blackcockatoocollective]

Artist Profile: Babs

I am a Gundangurra and Croatian creative, based in Dharawal country. I create visual,written and performance art based on my unique positionality and range of interests. A monologue that I wrote and performed received second place at the Wollongong Eisteddfod in 2023. My latest venture “Just Say it project” aims to celebrate the inherent radical potential of acknowledging and celebrating each other's differences and everyone's personal and artistic journeys. I believe that art is based on intention, memory and emotions and that art comes in all forms. I aim to further that belief in this project. When not sketching or writing poems and short stories I can be found boxing, sewing, working on my voice acting skills and volunteering with Driver Reviver and Gulla Nurra National Parks bush care program.

Can be found of Instagram as @Babs61_6 or Cara as @aphantwriter

Just Say It!!!

ART! The creation of an artists soul. Even when showing something the artist hates

and divorces themselves from it is impossible for the artist to leave themselves out of it. Art is inherently vulnerable in all it’s forms. Why is this principle ignored and talked over when it comes to minority groups?

Refusal to associate these minority groups with things you like perpetuates evils like queerphobia, ableism and racism

It pushes the idea that the dominant groups are the default

It erases the identities and experiences of artists and allows weaponization of other identities

Perpetuates the idea that oppressed minorities must be accessible to everyone and that discussing personal experiences is “political: “ it’s only political because you make the politics necessary

Allows dominant groups to feel comfortable appropriating the language and art of oppressed experiences. (you will not die if you vibe with a Blak person)

Especially in collaborative work- focusing on universality strangles the meaning or art.

CALLING ALL CREATIVES! Post under the hashtag #JustSayItProject it can be anything, an embroidery of something that sparks joy, a poem, short story or fan art for a show that impacted you. SHOW US WHO YOU ARE

[blackcockatoocollective]

Artist Profile: Juundaal

Image: Meryn Martin, 2020, Sister GlitterNullius X, Plastic-free Biennale, NIRIN, Biennale of Sydney, NSW, 2020, Cockatoo Island, Eora Country. 

I am a Yugambeh-Bundjalung & Kannakan woman, living on Wodi Wodi Country of the Dharawal nation. As an emerging artist with a disability, creative courage and determination underpin my approaches and my mentors are integral to the foundation of my practice. 

There are enduring themes of identity, Indigeneity, failure, fragility, entangled, challenging and complex relationships in my work. I am interested in how these impact, intersect and become barriers within our environmental crisis context while my art practice functions within the discomfort of decolonisation frameworks. I aim at strengthening the non-Indigenous and Indigenous relationship, negotiating meaningful, respectful space for the revitalisation of Indigenous culture and environmental knowledges. I see these as crucial elements for responding to multi-species devastation in the Anthropocene. One of my primary practice goals is to facilitate socially engaged, collaborative projects that instigate, investigate and challenge multiple environmental and socio-political objectives and processes at once. 

Performance, video story-telling, community and social engagement projects ground my cross-disciplinary practice and my performative characters Sister GlitterNullius & Sister Everywhen.  I hope to create work that advocates and prioritises Nature, interrogates complex relationships, challenging issues, strengthens community capacity and contributes to social change. I hope to lead with vulnerability and build bridges, not mirrors.

Manifesto:

The Ten Commandments: https://youtu.be/XbM8oF5vkeE

Links:

The Wrapped Trees Project: https://thewrappedtreesproject.wordpress.com/about-2/

Juundaal: https://juundaal.com/

The Sisters of Perpetual Plastix: https://sisters-of-perpetual-plastix.net/

Thanx for stopping by!

Juundaal

[blackcockatoocollective]

Artist Profile: Jazz

I am a young creative building a socially engaged artistic practice that establishes artistic acts as tools of social change. In developing and contributing to community-based projects, creative youth programs, and art therapy, my work addresses political and social concerns, with emphasis on elevating marginalised voices. My science background contributes a deep interest in ecology and interspecies relationships that I have explored through photographic and printmaking projects. My ventures all have an underlying emphasis on collaboration and shared experience that challenges the prevailing individualism of the West, to create spaces for healing, connection, and reflection across human and non-human communities.

Read my 'freak art manifesto' for a better idea of what I'm all about.