Bringing the river into the gallery and the future: reimagining Birrarung 50 years from now Postcards from the future: the river-cleaning Birrabot. REALMstudios/NGV Australia Alexandra Crosby, University of Technology Sydney The Ian Potter Centre at Melbourne’s Federation Square is located on the banks of the lower stretches of Birrarung, the Yarra River. For Reimagining Birrarung Design […]

Ecological art can bring us closer to understanding nature. How does this look in the era of climate change? Topographies at Sydney College of the Arts Gallery. Jessica Maurer Alexandra Crosby, University of Technology Sydney Ecology has always fascinated Australian artists. Think of landscape painters like Arthur Boyd (1920–99), who was inspired by nature and committed […]

Since our 2018 project documenting environmental stewardship practices in the gardeners of Haberfield, we have volunteered as judges of the Haberfield Association’s Garden Competition. This year we were looking at the category ‘Whole Gardens’. Presentation night was 22nd Monday, 2024 at the local library. Judges showcased the stunning entries to share the resilience, generosity and […]

Recently I’ve been reading Merry Hall by Beverley Nichols written in 1951 about a 5 acre rundown Georgian estate he bought after WWII.  An avid gardener he wrote: I noticed something else.  At each end of this lovely little wall there were two brick pillars. They stood there, perfectly poised, exactly the right height, exactly […]

To launch the Green Square Atlas of Water Stories, the storytellers got together on Easter Friday to share stories. We began with an acknowledgement of Country by Bangawarra. And then, of course, collected some easter eggs, which the Green Square bunny had kindly delivered to the paperbark trees surrounding Matron Ruby Grant off leash dog […]

PhD scholarships available with Mapping Edges as part of the ARC Discovery Project ‘Surfacing urban wetlands in two urban renewal sites in Sydney’ Fully funded for 3.5 years full time Email CV and cover letter to Alexandra.crosby@uts.edu.au  by 8 April 2024. Successful applicants will join the research team sharing knowledge between partners, with milestones for […]

We are absolutely thrilled to be starting on a new project in 2024. This Discovery Project is funded by the Australian Research Council. Wetlands are an endangered ecosystem globally. We aim to foreground, explore and reconnect with wetlands in Sydney. The project builds on research undertaken in Water Stories, using a similar methodology (including walkshops, […]

The next in our series of hand made maps, designed by Ella Cutler. The Country that is now known as Green Square is nadunga gurad, sand dunes Country, known for millennia for its nattai bamalmarray, freshwater wetlands and ephemeral ponds. We acknowledge the generous contribution of Shannon Foster, D’harawal eora Knowledge Keeper & registered Sydney […]

Mapping Edges has collaborated with Pedal Set Go on a free Guided Ride of Water Stories. The tour is based on the living archive of Green Square. Professional guides show riders the bicycle friendly ways to explore Water Stories that maps the history and practices of water around Green Square. ‘Not only will you never […]

In June, we travelled to New York to present at the Livable Cities Conference, covering architecture, design, city planning, health, technology, urban economics and social policy. We presented our paper ‘Civic Ecologies in Green Square: Beyond urban renewal, towards caring for Country’ on a panel about Sustainability and Society.