Unearthing-Discovering the knowledge implicit in designing remote Aboriginal living environments

This practice research looks into Aboriginal people's micro-use of domestic space and how obligations to kin and Country relate directly to their physical living patterns. It reflects on my cultural design awareness and contribution over many years of working with people in Central Australia on their housing programs. When I talk about 'smoothing' my practice, I am seeking to grasp the protagonist in my backstory to contextualise praxis. The research explains important patterns of experience and reasons out the 'noise' in Western assumptions about Indigenous lifestyle narratives in the landscape. The style of architecture commonly imposed on bush families physically imperils remote homeland communities, forcing them to adapt their living environments because of the cultural stress they cause in everyday Aboriginal life. The lived experiences of the housing occupants and the views of other capable designers and researchers who have walked a similar path are considered in the review process. The research develops methodological design strategies for considering ways remote Indigenous homelands housing can achieve cultural comfort.