Djinjama merges Aboriginal ways of thinking, cultural practices and community narratives into projects to ensure they are Country centred. Our approach recognises the multiple perspectives of Knowledge Holders to design with Country.
As qualified First Nations designers with a diversity of disciplines in our team, we work to bring to life the project vision while embedding Country and culture into the centre of our thinking through a culturally responsive Designing with Country approach.
In our role as spatial designers, we engage with architectural design, landscape design, and interior space projects. As Country-centred designers who encourage Country-led approaches we bring a unique perspective that considers the environment holistically to deliver unique design outcomes and considers all users of the space, be they human or non-human.
Storytelling is a fundamental part of First Nations cultures and spaces. Interpretive design offers the chance for key cultural, heritage, historical or environmental stories of places to be embedded into the design responses, including the design of objects.
Interpretive designs create narrative immersive environments. This can be through spatial mediums, signage, motifs and language, object design, public art, and other provocations. Our work ensures the First Nations story of Country is given voice and space. Our intent is to enrich understandings of places that include deep history, deep time and culture.
To co-create or curate a process and outcome for design, we will regularly collaborate with First Nations peoples such as Elders and Knowledge Holders to ensure our work is informed by their cultural authority.
Their guidance is implemented through a co-design process into spatial designs such as architectural structures or urban and landscape designs, or interpretive or performative outcomes such as integrated artworks incorporated into structures, curated art, audio landscapes, audio visuals, signage and objects. We often team up community engagement experts to facilitate the engagement.
Collaborating with other built environment professionals and clients on projects such as masterplans, urban design and planning, placemaking strategies, precinct plans, architecture, and landscape architecture brings a Country-centred approach to the project through our work.
Through meaningful engagement with key First Nations community members our work ensures Country and community values are embedded into the project through a Connecting with Country framework, rather than added as an afterthought. Importantly, community aspirations for Country are integrated and interpreted genuinely as design, planning or spatial outcomes that improve the health and wellbeing of Country.
Advocating for the rights of Country, culture, First Nations peoples and kin promotes considerations for their needs in spatial and other built outcomes. Our research aims to support First Nations peoples’ aspirations in culturally sensitive yet impactful ways.
We produce strategies and guidance relating to policies on matters that affect First Nations peoples more generally, as well as design and built environment specific research. Our work includes cultural mapping and countermapping to share the untold stories and histories of places using mapping techniques and technologies.
Djinjama honours our connections to Country, community, culture and kin through our work. Djinjama’s projects actively interact with lands, waters and air, and as such we actively protect the rights of Country to be healthy in our work. We respect Traditional Custodians who have long cared for Country and aim to elevate First Voices in all our work. We are grateful to Elders and Knowledge Holders for their continued sharing of wisdom, story, language, and knowledge.
