Connected Voices

Connected Voices memorial reimagines the traditional idea of memorials as static objects and instead proposes a memorial park that is commemorative and dynamic, encouraging reflection, healing and conversation.

The genesis of the memorial is the expression of the survivors healing journey. This is represented as brass strands that emerge from the land and the water. As they converge together, they create a protective, self-supporting canopy, a place to gather, a safe space.

The form expresses the highs and the lows, it is abstract but familiar, it is one of lightness and transparency but also embrace and protection. It acknowledges the journey of the individual as well as the importance of community, togetherness and strength.

Through reflection and shadow play the strands appear continuous. They pass through a focal point surrounded by a central artwork that contains a collection of permanent contributions from survivors, victims and their families. This centrepiece expresses the complexities and dualities of dealing with trauma through the words of survivors. The anger and the forgiveness, The hope and the fear, the darkness and the light.

The central artwork takes the form of a pleated ring. On one side of each pleat is a message of light while on the other side is one of darkness. As you move around the artwork in one direction you experience the light messages, when you move in the opposite direction you experience the darkness. You experience the duality with one fading into the other.

The memorial and the landscape have been designed to embrace seasonal change. The surface and stormwater are slowed down and used to support planting and express the seasons, provide moments of ecology and shade and to and restore the landscape around the memorial to a pre-colonial condition. In this way the memorial acts as both a place of healing and a catalyst for Healing Country.

This surface water sculpts a linear natural playscape of boulders and native planting that lines the approach to the memorial encouraging close engagement with the water and its healing and reflective qualities.

The site is located on Wadawurrung Country and the chosen tree species of the Weeping Sheoaks are particularly relevant to this topic and this site as their branches dancing in the wind are said to be the arms of the ancestors protecting the children that play beneath. These are planted in groves to the north of the pathway, grouped to promote slender forms that allow for sight lines from the road through the trunks whilst providing shade and wind breaks to the path and extended canopy coverage.

For survivors, the memorial acts as a conduit for healing and a gathering place to share voices and be heard. It serves as a platform acknowledging trauma, embodying healing, and radiating hope.

For the public, the memorial offers an educational journey, providing insight into the scale and importance of the issue by listening to the voices of survivors. Encouraging a shared journey, the layers of contributions evoke a sense of obligation and responsibility to prevent future occurrences. The proposal Connected Voices transcends the static nature of memorials, becoming a living testament to resilience, unity, and the continual pursuit of healing and understanding.