Into the IMAGI-NATION Bath

What happens when you start looking at the role of Indigenous Knowledge in organisational transformation? How to describe it is half the challenge, I've been in so many of these squiggly places and use painting, drawing, writing as tools to help understand, sometimes I feel like I'm in a bit of a trace, watching the constant remodelling of the world... in a dream state at times looking lost in the grocery store or standing and staring at the stars wondering how many more maps we would see out there if we turned all the lights of for a moment. This year I’m sharing some of these stories from my unique dreaming journey as the first Vice Chancellor of IMAGI-NATION University and... As far as I can see... Australia’s first and only Indigenous Vice Chancellor... Like ever, of all time....?? (if you know of others, let me know, here or abroad, I’d love to connect!).

Over the past four years, this role has been a wildly transformative ride, to say the least. I’ve spent so much time questioning the validity of this unconventional {University}, feeling like an imposter in a space that doesn’t fit traditional definitions. But I realized along the way, as the patterns of thinking train choo-choo'ed around my brain, "That’s the whole point!" IMAGI-NATION {University} isn’t about replicating the spaces these conventional institutions sit in; it’s about creating space for different types of learning to unfold, of felt learning to be present, of sharing processes of design that are closer to natural systems like death, improvisation, art, and much more. It's about holding space to prioritise connections between humans and non-human kin; it's about how those relationships build the knowledge systems between the skies, the land, and the seas.

Designing pathways through the noise

We’re living in a time of unparalleled noise and distraction. Calls for systems change are loud, yet so often drowned out in social media attention economies, pulling our focus in a million directions purely for transactional outcomes.

Do you feel this too?

Do you feel the automation chomping down on the stories?

On the jobs?

Where are the humans at?

We’ve been working to cut through the static here too, designing codified tools, relational spaces and processes that help separate those important signals from noise. These spaces aren’t just theoretical or abstract either, they exist and are lived in, felt, and created in collaboration with custodians, technologists, bio-economy designers, artists, and even puppets. Together, we’ve uncovering and rebuilding roads and pathways to navigate the complexity of our world. The result? Joy, hope, tools for humanity codified and fused with deep Indigenous knowledge, modern systems thinking, and a commitment to sharing these freely to help return IP back to nature.

2024 was a landmark year for the {Uni}. We landed a rich AF process of design and inquiry (more to come on this in another blog, lots of weaves that need the space to float through!! I'm excited to share soon) and we’ve been connecting with several national and global research groups to deepen these processes. It was a big milestone for us, and I'm so grateful for all the humans and non-humans in this network that kept weaving their energy into this every minute of every day. I'm grateful for the grounding they bring when coming in relation to this type of thinking. It's not an easy task by any stretch and you realise this as all your assumptions start to wobble, but it is rewarding!

The eyes start to see differently... They start to see nested layers and movement within the relationships, perspective shifting again and again as you spend time looking closely at processes found in death, art, improvisation, non human relations, plus, plus, plus all bundled into a web of intelligence we can draw from at anytime... anytime!!

And... to share these processes with others has been another challenge flipped into an opportunity that has been so incredibly rich with joy at times I can hardly believe this is my "job". We've been spending time deepening our relationships with national and global research groups and I’m noticing good patterns that start and end with story in here that allow a shifting of our very human default settings we've inherited, these default setting can sound like they are spinning yarns telling us to give up, give up give!! But we won't we'll always be here, singing, dancing, setting circles and making those straight lines curved again.

Recently, we’ve been collaborating with a group of researchers out of Western Sydney University who’ve been slow cooking something big for the last few years, a paper on sparking imagination, specifically igniting it in schools. We connected recently to put some energy into the next phase, school engagement.. for the researchers to go hang and see how the tools are sitting, helping, and shaping in schools. We also dove into some reflections on the big story tour, they  had the chance to visit Ulladulla Primary and the local high school nearby when we shared Big Story here. What stood out during these yarns for me were the reflections from the tour, their observations highlighted the shifts in energy among teachers and the next-level responses from students. Noting that “you could feel the raw creativity bubbling to the surface, ready to explode” and the cleverness of the design became clear, it held the frame, allowing the spirit of creativity to erupt safely.

What is IMAGI-NATION??

Its a network! A network! A network of stories... showing and telling others about the pathways that lead to redesigning economics, of redesigning social networks, of redesigning media platforms, its a space to design different approaches to how we define impact at organisational levels. This network is shaped and informed by Indigenous knowledge systems that have sustained communities for millennia.

At one of it's many cores IMAGI-NATION challenges the extractive, hierarchical governance models we've inherited, offering alternatives that promote repair and care economies. Its building systems that are intrinsically linked, co-created, and sustained through collective care for all relations human and non-human alike. The governance systems are rooted in sustainability and relational care that are to often undervalued in organisational contexts because they don't follow the scripts of limitless growth.

What makes IMAGI-NATION unique is its collaborative, cross-disciplinary approach. The challenges we face are interconnected, we know, know, know this now... They require systems-level thinking to scratch the surface of the solution landscapes that are in front of us, that’s why we bring together global leaders, Indigenous custodians, and thinkers from diverse fields to seek and co-create these solutions.

As a mother, designer, artist, researcher, plus plus plus... my work focuses on bridging these world, translating elements of wisdom handed over from Indigenous knowledge landscapes into actionable frameworks for governance, education, and beyond. The opportunity is profound for human kind in this moment, what ever story we do we choose we are most defiantly all in this together.

Ok enough words for now... I'm off to stare at the sky...

See you soon