birrarung self-portrait

------------------------------------------------------------------

Birrarung’s Self-Portrait is a participatory eco-social design project developed in collaboration with the Yarra Riverkeeper Association. The project repositions the Birrarung as a co-author rather than a resource, inviting the public to engage in fabric dyeing workshops where untreated cloth is submerged in different reaches of the river. Sediments and debris form natural imprints that reflect ecological and social conditions, creating a living archive of the river’s environmental states. Part of the project was presented during the Birrarung Festival 2025, extending public engagement and dialogue around care and interdependence. The work was later featured in Birrarung: Adventures in Social Design Praxis Vol. 1, where I served as one of four student editors curating and refining the publication.