First Nations Common Room – AFTRS
Location: SydneyClient: Australian Film, Television & Radio School (AFTRS)
Artist: Lisa WaupYuwaalaraay designer Lucy Simpson (Gaawaa Miyay)
Collaboration: SW Art Consulting
In collaboration with Lucy Simpson (Gaawaa Miyay)
SW Art Consulting was engaged to support the visioning, curation and delivery of the First Nations Common Room at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) by celebrated Yuwaalaraay designer Lucy Simpson (Gaawaa Miyay).
Imagined as a dedicated gathering space for First Nations students, staff and creatives, the room is designed to support reflection, connection, conversation and creative exchange. At its heart was a commitment to creating a culturally safe environment — one shaped by First Nations design thinking, lived experience, and care-centred practice.
SW Art Consulting worked closely with Lucy, offering strategic support through project coordination, design and delivery.
As part of the design delivery, we engaged Wastewood, a Sydney-based reclaimed timber specialist, to supply sustainably sourced timber elements. This ensured the space not only honoured Country and culture, but also embedded circular economy principles, using materials with story, history and integrity.
From the custom joinery to the spatial layout, colour palette and artworks, every element of the Common Room was thoughtfully curated to create a space that welcomes First Nations voices and ways of being — and affirms their presence at the centre of Australia’s creative and screen industries.
Delivered with a values-led approach and deep respect for process, the project was realised through careful collaboration, creative problem-solving and a shared commitment to delivery within resourcing.
About the Artist
Yuwaalaraay wirringgaa Lucy Simpson is Creative Director and Principal Designer / Maker behind Gaawaa Miyay; a First Nations process-led studio based practice inspired by country, relationships and notions of continuity + exchange.
Grounded in and guided by the timeless and sophisticated philosophies of First Nations design, Simpson’s Wangal / Sydney based multi-disciplinary practice connects to narratives of country through function, materiality and transfer; through a wide range of applications spanning commercial, conceptual, and community-based projects and collaborations across a wide range of media.
A graduate of UNSW Art and Design and current PHD Candidate at the University of Technology Sydney, both Lucy’s creative practice and research focuses on the continuing role of First Nations design as tool and conduit to baayangalibiyaay / interconnected notions of wellbeing (people and place).
In 2015, Lucy was recognised by the Australian Design Centre as an honouree of Australian Design, and has exhibited works at museums galleries and institutions locally and abroad, collaborating also on a range of projects for theatre shows at festivals and major venues across the city.
Established in 2009, Gaawaa Miyay is a 100% First Nations owned and operated studio and a certified supplier with and a proud member of the National Association of Visual Artists (NAVA).