About the designer
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Alison is a Tharawal woman from La Perouse in Sydney. She is one of only a handful of Indigenous interior designers working in Australia today.
In 1998, Alison joined the Merrima Aboriginal Design Unit, an architectural practice in the Government Architects Office in Sydney. Merrima is staffed by Indigenous people and is committed to promoting self-determination for Aboriginal people by assisting them to express their culture through their built environments. It was set up as a response to how few indigenous designers were working in areas of the built environment. Merrima believes in maximum community involvement in the design, construction and management of all projects.
Alison and her five sisters grew up in a very simple but creative household. They were always involved in creative activities such as drawing, painting and making things. Her mum was fond of collecting interesting objects and op-shop treasures and this helped to give the girls an appreciation for design and beauty in their every-day world.
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Alison talks about why she became a designer.  |
Alison's career path
1997 completed a Bachelor of Interior Design (Honours) from the University of Technology in Sydney
1998 ? 1999 worked for the NSW Government Architect's Office - Merrima Aboriginal Design Unit, Sydney
1999 ? present own practice for Merrima Design and Designers in Collaboration
Alison studied interior design at the University of Technology in Sydney. Here she learned the skills needed to design interiors for offices, cafes, and public buildings. She also trained in exhibition and furniture design. Alison says that because interior design is a constantly changing profession, she needs to keep learning about new products and technologies, particularly when it comes to making sure that her designs are environmentally sustainable. She continues to attend courses such as Project Management, which help further her skills in managing people and projects on a day-to-day basis.
Alison has met a number of inspirational people in her career. One such person was George Verghese, a Canadian industrial designer who was one of her lecturers at university. He talked to her about the work of Native American architects and this inspired her to explore ways in which cultural identity could be expressed through design.
After graduating from university, Alison was looking for a way to use her skills and qualifications in a more meaningful way. She didn't feel inspired by the idea of creating interiors that had no real connection to the environment or to the people that used them. A pivotal moment came when she met the architects, Dillon Kombumerri and Kevin O'Brien, who started Merrima, the only Indigenous architectural practice of its kind in Australia.
Designer profiles developed by the Technology Unit, Curriculum K–12 Directorate and supported by the Vocational Education in Schools Directorate of the NSW Department of Education and Training in partnership with the Powerhouse Museum. © 2004
