On Route to an International Indigenous Design Charter. Was. Is. Always – South to North is a project by Deakin University which aims to bring together researchers, students, industry, and other organisations involved in Indigenous design to create an International Indigenous Design Charter. Participants from Australia, Greenland, Sweden and Denmark and other countries will attend a series of workshops to develop protocols for the appropriate use of Indigenous knowledge in design practice.
Having published the Australian Indigenous Design Charter: Communication Design (2016), Deakin University will work with local universities and stakeholders to facilitate discussion around establishing a broader international Indigenous design charter. The workshops will provide an opportunity for Indigenous participants of each participating nation to showcase their designs, learn and share knowledge of culture and design practice, and build long term academic, professional and social networks.
The Australian Indigenous Design Charter: Communication Design is supported by Indigenous Architecture and Design Victoria (IADV) and the Design Institute of Australia (DIA). Was.Is. Always, South to North: On route to an International Indigenous Design Charter has been endorsed by ico-D, the International Council of Design.
“The Australian Indigenous Design Charter is not only about best practice in working with Indigenous images, as it also posits a framework to give Indigenous voice with political integrity. Image making in Indigenous culture is paramount to relaying our memories of the past into the present which has been practice throughout millennia. This performative action of ritual is the premise of our cultures and this Study Tour program continue this relational practice by enabling Indigenous Australians to lead in concert with Deakin University, protocols for the international design space” Brian Martin (Muruwari,Bundjalung , Kamilaroi) 2016.
Was. Is. Always: South to North. On Route to an International Indigenous Design Charter will comprise a series of community led workshops in Greenland, Sweden and Denmark bringing together researchers, students, industry, and other organisations involved or interested in Indigenous design. The primary aim of the workshops is to progress discussion towards the realisation of an International Indigenous Design Charter, outlining the appropriate use of Indigenous knowledge in commercial communication design practice.
The workshops will showcase international Indigenous design from Sami and Inuit communities and will include a strong focus on Australian Indigenous design. The outcomes of the workshops will be used to draft an International Indigenous Design Charter that will be launched at the World Design Summit in Montreal, Canada, October 2017.