Burra multi-ways learning space,

Australian Museum, Sydney

Australian Museum, Sydney, Australia , 2022

Set in the heart of Gadigal land at the Australian Museum in Sydney, the concept for ‘Burra’ was to create a learning experience based on First Nations knowledges combined with Western Science, where visitors can learn the importance of caring for Country and each other.

Studio Cassells and Story Inc planned the space to represent the environments that burra (eels) travel through on their migration; the Pacific and EAC, the Sydney estuary waters, and further inland, to freshwater environments. Connecting the two galleries and guiding visitor flow is a ceiling installation and large-scale sculptural representation of Burra, dipping and curving throughout the space.

Through consultation with First Nations advisors, the Australian Museum and the Australian Museum Accessibility Advisory Group, learning experiences were designed to be multisensory, catering to a wide variety of learning styles and encouraging visitors to explore, play, touch, watch and listen to Country.

Interactive areas include soft-play areas, animated story stations, interactive projections, touchable dioramas, programmable activity areas, a projection theatre and two multifunctional exhibition/ group learning spaces.

Mural Artwork by artists Jasmine Miikika Craciun, Barkindji, Malyangapa.