In Conversation with Megan Sheehy and Volker Kuchelmeister

Hard Place / Good Place is a project developed by the Yarra Ranges Regional Museum following a devastating storm that swept through the region in June 2021. It was thoughtfully designed in collaboration with the fEEL lab at the University of New South Wales as a way to work with young people in the region aged 15 to 25 to give voice to their experience as part of the recovery process. 

The work focusses on lived experiences of being in a ‘hard place’ or a ‘good place’ through a collection of personal and community stories, told through Augmented Reality. It was exhibited in the museum in Lilydale from September - November as part of The Big Anxiety - a mental health and arts festival. 

On this episode, Scotia is joined by two of the key people behind the project: Megan Sheehy, Director of the Yarra Ranges Regional Museum; and Volker Kuchelmeister, lead immersive designer and Senior Research fellow at the University of New South Wales’ Felt Experience and Empathy Lab.

We hear about the process of developing the work and the importance of centering the participants’ experience. We also discuss the broader opportunities for the future of digital storytelling as well as the crucial role that local government and local cultural institutions play in supporting communities through disaster recovery in regional areas. 

LINKS

Hard Place / Good Place 

https://www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/enjoylocal/The-Big-Anxiety/Hard-PlaceGood-Place-Yarra-Ranges 

The Age, October 5 2022: ‘The tree got every room in the house’: At the centre of a terrifying Dandenong Ranges storm

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/the-tree-got-every-room-in-the-house-at-the-centre-of-the-dandenong-ranges-terrifying-storm-20221005-p5bn9k.html 

Yarra Ranges Regional Museum

https://www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Experience/Yarra-Ranges-Regional-Museum 

Parragirls Past, Present

http://kuchelmeister.net/portfolio/parragirls-past-present/

UNSW fEEL Lab

http://www.niea.unsw.edu.au/research/organisations/arc-laureate-felt-experience-empathy-lab-feel-lab 

The Big Anxiety Festival

https://www.thebiganxiety.org/ 

Creative Recovery Network Case Study Library 

https://creativerecovery.net.au/resources/ 

Creative Responders S1 E1, A Sense of safety: What young people are capable of in the face of disaster

https://creativerecovery.net.au/creative-responders-podcast/documentary-series/series-1/s1-episode-01/ 

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