top of page
ideas for humanity:
a cookbook for planetary health
recipes for action
archive
common design studio
The current ecological crisis presents consequences for all of us and as designers we have a responsibility to act, propose, challenge and share. Over the period of two weeks students and staff collaboratively worked together on the Planetary Health Cookbook, populated with radical interventions, design challenges, guides, advice, hacks, tips, tutorials, instruction sets, individual stories, coping mechanisms, training exercises, manifestos and collective actions; recipes for people to act individually or collectively.
This project has a design-led focus on developing actionable strategies for a beneficial, sustainable, holistic relationship with the earth, its diverse peoples, its flora and fauna, addressing some of the risks to our interconnected ecologies.
recipes for action - archive
assembling the everyday
In this video, we explore our neighbourhood through everyday observations and interactions across Vietnam, Melbourne, and India. Each person's perspective is presented within a 3×3 grid, inspired by the surface of a Rubik's Cube, while its rotating movements blend our individual experiences into a collective narrative. Our journey begins as we wake up and take our first steps, focusing on the textures beneath our feet. The camera gradually shifts from our footsteps to ourselv
Jul 15
home is a map of scent stories
This video is an abstract sensory experience dedicated to the personal exploration of our hometown. The journey unfolds linearly, beginning with the familiar outdoor scents of our neighborhood and gradually drawing us into the cozy, intimate environment of 'home'. Throughout this neighborhood stroll, various scents caught our attention, even the faintest ones: the damp, pungent scent of green moss creeping from building cracks, the subtle waft from a local coffee shop, and th
Jul 15
micro traces
What makes a place become home? Home may exist not only in what we consciously remember, but also in what we have lived with long enough to stop noticing. Every day, we follow familiar paths, touch the same surfaces, hear recurring sounds, and repeat ordinary routines. Over time, these encounters leave traces of movement, care, culture, and presence. The more familiar they become, the more they fade into the background of our attention, while continuing to shape how we experi
Jul 15
under construction
Our video explores the many ways we come to call a place home. At its heart is the belief that home is not something we simply find, it is something we create over time. Each of us builds a unique sense of home through the people we love, the places we return to, the memories we cherish and the everyday routines that make us feel connected. Because everyone experiences life differently, each person's idea of home is also different. This diversity reminds us that home is not l
Jul 15
the everyday symphony
‘The Everyday Symphony’ explores the method of transportation that each person uses as a distinct characteristic that builds our sense of home. Our common statement of interest was focused on how we navigate the world around us as well as how unique the experience can be for each individual. From the chaos of a bustling crowd to the calmness of a silent road, the varying levels of noise we hear on our journey back are emphasised throughout the video, regardless of where in th
Jul 15
threads of home
Home is not where we are born, but where we belong. Home is often thought of as a place, yet it is shaped by the people we meet, the paths we choose, and the moments we share. Inspired by our haiku, “With the chosen path, Our tangled lives intertwine, Still we all belong,” our film explores how individual journeys gradually converge to create a shared sense of belonging. The opening montage of different streets and skies reflects the many paths people choose throughout life.
Jul 15
comfort in chaos
What if the chaos we move through every day is what creates our feeling of home? We often think of home as a place of stability, yet our everyday lives are shaped by constant movement, uncertainty, and change. Within this complexity, we unconsciously create patterns that accumulate over time. These recurring rhythms help us make sense of the world around us. Rather than eliminating chaos, they allow us to navigate it with familiarity and comfort. In this experimental video, w
Jul 15
traces of home
Home doesn't end at our own front door, but it doesn't always begin right outside it, either. The space just beyond home can feel unfamiliar, even unsafe: a threshold we have to cross before we feel at ease again. This project explores that in-between space, and what we carry with us as we move through it. As we venture out, we notice small traces: a gesture, an object, a moment that quietly echo the warmth of home, even in unfamiliar surroundings. These traces aren't home it
Jul 15
between the seams
Our project focuses on the mixture of culturally specific and universal experiences of home. Although different, we were united by the sense of comfort and relaxation our homes give us. The quilt stands as a metaphor for both comfort and our mixed experiences. The culturally specific experiences of each person are weaved together by thread in each frame. The thread acting as the universal harmoniser. Using a mixture of styles emphases each person's unique perspective of 'home
Jul 15
mother tongue
What if home is something we recognize long before we can explain it? Coming together from different cultures, languages, and lived experiences, we expected our ideas of home to diverge. Instead, the same quiet patterns kept resurfacing, revealing familiarity not as something shared through place, but through the way we experience belonging. Our film grows from this discovery, weaving together moments from six lives until they begin to echo one another. As images dissolve an
Jul 15
homepage
HOMEPAGE explores the idea that home is not limited to a single place, but is shaped by the memories, experiences, and emotions we carry throughout our lives. Through a series of collections of images, it presents personal interpretations of home, with each page revealing moments that contribute to a sense of belonging. The narrative unfolds through three chapters: Time, Simplicity, and Emotion. Time reflects how unfamiliar spaces gradually become meaningful and familiar. Sim
Jul 15
my, his, her, our home. ducks, pigeons and dogs
Our journey as a team began with each of us sharing what Nostalgia Home meant to us. As the mind map took shape, emerged as the intersection of every view. Colours, rituals, and the quiet concept of sonder wove through our lifestyles, becoming the focus for our final piece. The question asked, how do we make someone feel the urge to cling to the past to survive the present and an unpredictable future? We wanted to build an abstract, gradual flow into visual chaos, fading to b
Jul 15
the unnoticed patterns
"The Unnoticed Patterns" explores how home is shaped through the subtle patterns we leave behind. Memories, sounds, materials, routines and everyday experiences accumulate over time, forming the invisible systems that influence how we inhabit and understand our environments. Often overlooked, these ordinary encounters continue to shape both our identities and the spaces around us. Each member of our team developed a personal visual language drawn from their own experiences, m
Jul 15
afterimages of memories
What if home is not something we find, but something we continually create? Our work explores the connections between people, environments, memories, and lived experiences that shape our sense of belonging. Rather than presenting home as a fixed destination, the video considers how everyday moments overlap, evolve, and connect over time. As familiar images dissolve into shifting colour grids and gradually return to recognisable forms, the work invites viewers to move between
Jul 14
come here
Home is often imagined as a place, yet we believe it exists first as a feeling. It is difficult to describe because we rarely question its presence. Only when comfort disappears do we begin to understand what it truly means. In moments of uncertainty, our senses instinctively search for something familiar for a rhythm, a face, a memory, or a silence that allows us to rest. That search is not simply a desire to escape discomfort; it is the need to reconnect with a sense of bel
Jul 14
bottom of page