Arch- Hive

https://hdl.handle.net/10779/DRO/DU:30171391

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posted on 2025-09-21, 23:28 authored by Jacinta KayJacinta Kay, Colin TrechterColin Trechter

Arch- Hive<p></p>

History

Location

Deakin Project Space, Geelong, Australia

Extent

Series of 32 collages co-created with the public through a participatory workshop

Start date

2024-11-21

End date

2024-11-30

Research statement

Background Driven by the research question: How can collage, as both method and medium, activate archives as participatory spaces for collective reflection on history, place and belonging? - this project investigated the potential of artistic practice to reposition archives in public life. Archives hold cultural significance but are often underutilised, with engagement largely limited to genealogy or academic study. This work asked how co-design and participatory arts methods could expand their reach, opening archives to broader social dialogue. Contribution The creative output was a series of collages co-created with the public through an open design lab, combining archival materials from the Geelong Heritage Centre with contemporary images provided by artists and participants. Methods included co-design, collage, and arts-based research processes, which foregrounded reflection and dialogue over polished outcomes. By situating collage as both process and product, the project demonstrated how archives can become catalysts for collective creativity and public storytelling, producing new visual narratives that link historical ephemera with present-day experience. Significance Arch-Hive was curated and exhibited at the Deakin Project Space as part of Geelong Design Week 2024, following acceptance into the program by the GDW curatorial committee. The inclusion of a public workshop positioned the project as both public art and participatory art, extending its impact beyond exhibition display to direct community involvement. Its significance lies in activating archives as living, dialogic spaces for co-creation and meaning-making, fostering a collective sense of history, identity, and belonging in Geelong/Diljang.

Recognition, awards & prizes

This project was selected via curatorial committee for admission into the program

Publisher

UNESCO 2024 Geelong Design Week

Place of publication

Deakin Project Space, Geelong, Australia

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Keywords

civic identity co-creation design research narrative of place participatory art placemaking UNESCO