As part of Refuge 2019 at Artshouse, Melbourne I will be presenting North Melbourne School of Displacement, co-programmed with Claire G. Coleman.

North Melbourne School of Displacement acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which our learning takes place, the Woiwurrung (Wurundjeri) and Boon Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation, and pays respect to Elders, past, present and future. We honour the ancient First Nations knowledge systems that have and continue to shape the land and waterways sustainably.

Opening a dialogue from here, North Melbourne School of Displacement puts learning itself under the microscope with a series of discussions that offer vital correctives to the methods of sharing knowledge that dominate our society.

Housed in a temporary architecture constructed from masses of salvaged tents, the school emphasises that learning should not be confined to institutions and instead become more inclusive, accessible and connected to the community.

How does climate crisis impact gentrification and homelessness in cities? What happens when learning your ABCs means renouncing your own language? How would embracing Indigenous culture and ways of thinking help Australia survive the impacts of a climate catastrophe? With subjects focusing on dispossession and displacement, this alternative school promotes learning as a key tool in the fight for social justice.

Sat 31 Aug
10.30am Over our heads: Housing and homelessness
1.30pm Lost for words: Displacement through enforced and prioritised language

Sun 1 Sep
10.30am In a strange land: How does culture survive when you can’t go home
1.30pm A billycan, a crowbar and an axe: Indigenous survival techniques for the apocalypse

Mon 2 Sep
6pm The future is Indigenous: Cultural change to survive a climate change world

Tue 3 Sep
6pm Not a drop to drink: Aqua nullius and global warming, securing First Nations water rights

First displayed as part of the 20^th Biennale of Sydney (2016), the School ‘building’ – created from the masses of recycled, multi-coloured tents –  is open outside of the talks from 10.30am until 4pm.

North Melbourne School of Displacement by artist Keg de Souza has been co-programmed by Wirlomin Noongar collaborator Claire G. Coleman

North Melbourne School of Displacement