Explore the experiences, challenges, and stories of migrant female built environment practitioners working in Australia. Through discussing the challenges they have faced and overcome, this panel hopes to foster a deeper understanding of the obstacles that female migrant designers encounter in their professional lives as well as how it plays into their interests in the chosen field.

The discussion will delve into the complex interplay between design, culture, identity, and migration, considering the diverse stories, tensions, and interactions these designers and academics have within the Australian context. By inviting these culturally and linguistically diverse designers and academics to speak about their experience, this talk aims to provide a platform for these marginalised groups to build communities and bonds, and explore how their cultural backgrounds and identities shape their interests and professional practices.

This event is an outcome of the 2023 M_Curators program, which supports young and ambitious art, design, and creative workers to gain practical experience in developing and curating public events and programs.

The M_Curators program is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Collaborators:

Inuri Liyanage Growing up across South Asia before commencing her architectural journey in Melbourne heavily influenced Inuri Liyanage’s interests in creative problem-solving and in cultivating relationships through borders. She is currently working at a practice based in Naarm/Melbourne with a Master of Architecture from Monash University. Inuri aims to develop the architectural discipline further alongside her passion for building social resilience.

Terren Jiatong Shi is a Chinese-born landscape architect with a Bachelor of Design and a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Melbourne. Her interests encompass the sociocultural, political, and historical dimensions of landscape architecture and the urban environment. Terren is passionate about understanding the ways in which landscape architecture and urban design have been shaped by social and political contexts – and how they can be used to address contemporary social and environmental challenges. Through her writing practice, she seeks to visiblise and celebrate the diverse experiences and lesser-known stories within landscape architecture.

Sonia Sarangi is a director at Andever, a registered Architect with 18 years of experience, Board Member (ArchiTeam & AusdanceVIC), sessional teacher of architecture at the University of Melbourne, a passionate advocate for diversity and a parent of two. Sonia often thinks of herself as a double-migrant. She is the child of South Asian immigrants to the Middle East who then undertook her own migration journeys to Singapore and finally Naarm / Melbourne. The duality of being an insider-outsider as a result of these multiple journeys is one that has deeply shaped her and her practice.

Keren Maina is a Kenyan landscape architect with a bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture. She is currently a student at the University of Melbourne pursuing a Master of Landscape Architecture/ Urban Planning. She has a wide range of interests in the world of urbanism where she critically questions the status quo using the lens of intersectionality and decolonization using both research and design. Keren is passionate about the empowerment, recognition and celebration of African designers and practitioners. She is also a strong believer in the power of communities and their ability to create brighter urban futures. She is currently working as a student landscape architect at OCULUS.

Aning Kuswinarni is a designer with a background in both Landscape Architecture and Architecture. Originally from Indonesia, her love for travel, passion for the environment/conservation and interest in landscape ecology have inspired her design journey to Singapore, Scotland, New Zealand and now Australia. Over the past 15 years she has been involved in a number of award-winning landscape/environmental projects, such as Kranji Marshes, Singapore Botanical Gardens Learning Forest, Bishan to City Feasibility Study and Te Rautaki Te Puhinui Regeneration Strategy. She is currently practising as a Senior Landscape Architect at TCL, one of the leading Landscape Consultants in Melbourne.