MPARNTWE: WHEN YOU COME TO ANOTHER COUNTRY - event wrap by Harrison Matthews
Alice Springs, 11th-13th september 2025.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY tom roe
The author, Harrison Matthews, was awarded a bursary to attend MPARNTWE by Curtin University in WA, where he is currently a student.
This was my first time in Alice Springs, and I’ll admit, I packed for the desert expecting heat, dust, and dry air. I completely forgot how bitterly cold the desert can get at night, and it caught me off guard. That contrast between what I thought I knew and what I found ended up shaping much of my experience.
Growing up, I spent a lot of time travelling through the Kimberley with my family. Mum would always remind me, “every two hours of driving, you pass through a different language and culture”. On those long drives to Kununurra or Fitzroy Crossing, Dad would teach me the “way of the land,” which often differed from the knowledge of other mobs we’d meet. So when I was accepted to take part in the Alice Springs experience, I expected something familiar, another small regional town, quiet and surrounded by beautiful country.
Delegates looking out over Mparntwe (Alice Springs) from Olive Pink Botanic Gardens, photo by Tom Roe
Alice wasn't that, though. At first, the broad skies and red earth made it feel almost foreign, but the little things that make up everyday life were different. It was best defined as "a country within a country" by creative directors Tonielle Dempers, Bobbie Bailey, and Owen Kelly. Due to its remote location in the centre of the continent, Alice Springs has developed into a community with a diverse range of personalities.
We were reminded throughout the event by locals and speakers that designing in this country is never simple, especially in Alice. The severe dry environment, the abandoned town camps, the high cost of supplies, and the sociological complexity of a town that is both central and marginalised are just a few of the difficulties. What was noteworthy, however, was how solutions are developed via cooperation, resiliency, and creativity, creating a distinctively Central Australian identity.
Learning on Country at Ormiston Gorge, photo by Tom Roe
We weren’t just sitting in lecture halls. We were out on Country and buildings built by locals. From 8 Hele Crescent to the Kwarta Tuma Festival out in Ormiston Gorge, the site visits made the learning real. It reminded me of something my cousin-brother once said: “It’s always better to learn on Country than in a classroom.” On Country, you can feel and engage with place it speaks to you in a way that no slide presentation ever could. Even if Alice Springs was freezing, the lessons cut deeper for it.
Arrernte Elder Kumalie Riley Kngwarraye sharing her deep knowledge of Mparntwe’s history and culture, photo by Tom Roe
One of the most important parts of the experience was seeing how architects are thinking about kinship systems like avoidance relationships and skin groups and designing for them. It showed how built form can carry story: sometimes new ones, sometimes Dreaming’s passed down through generations. Central to this was the reminder that genuine community engagement with Traditional Owners must always be the first step when designing on Country. Without it, architecture risks becoming another form of harm.
Architects from across Australia gathered outside Flynn Memorial Uniting Church, photo by Tom Roe
Alice Springs does face big challenges. But bringing people from across Australia together created space to reflect on how architecture can help, and how it has harmed. We heard about the realities of life in town camps, where something as basic as a working tap can make the difference between health and sickness. That sharpens the perspective of what it means to design responsibly. At the same time, it was impossible to ignore how architecture has historically been used as a tool of colonisation and assimilation and how those legacies still shape the built environment here.
This event was about more than just structures, in my opinion as an Aboriginal architecture student. It was about learning, listening, and being reminded of the duty we have while designing for our country. Here, architecture is about more than simply buildings, this event informed me; it's about identity, narrative, and survival.
RAA would like to thank the major sponsors Stratco Architectural Solutions, Architectural Window Systems (AWS), Susan Dugdale & Associates, Bondor Metecno and Allegion for their commitment to making this important event a reality. RAA wishes to acknowledge the AIA for their facilitation of Bondor Metecno and Allegion’s sponsorship of the event.
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