The Gilimbaa team was honoured to work on this special project for KPMG, alongside Shannon Ruska of Tribal Experiences, and the KPMG working group to identify how traditional culture and history can be incorporated into the design and ongoing function of its office development over three floors at Heritage Lanes, 80 Ann Street, in Brisbane CBD.
Aligned with its Reconciliation Action Plan, KPMG sought to integrate First Nations culture into everyday life for its Brisbane-based staff, partners, clients and guests, and engaged Gilimbaa to create a community-inspired design across the office fit-out.
A narrative and story of the site provided by Shannon Ruska was the framework and inspiration for the artwork ‘Every Footprint Tells a Story’ by David Williams. The artwork encapsulates important aspects of the First Nations history of the site of Heritage Lanes and the role KPMG and others have in preserving its future. Its swirling form is inspired by the grain of the bunya pine and the ridges surrounding Turrbal and Jagera Country.
Prominent centres of culture and community are connected by First Nations trade routes that have been followed for thousands of years; the routes KPMG still follows carefully but courageously to build and maintain connections today. Footprint trails thread throughout, connecting KPMG to the past while also leading the way to a shared and better future.
The design of the workplace, undertaken by Cox Architecture, features the visual highlight of the circular stairway centrepiece, over which the artwork is animated on the circular LED ceiling. The motif is also found on the textile walls throughout the workplace, so wherever you look, there is a symbolic connection to Country.
For more information about KPMG, visit its website.
