A summary of: Memmott, P., & Long, S. J. (2001). Place Theory and Place Maintenance in Indigenous Australia. Urban Policy and Research, 20(1), 39–56.

1. Week 3 SCP
Botanica 2021
Tahlia
Angel
Nicholas
Courtney-Rae

2. Place Theory and Place
Maintenance in Indigenous
Australia
Memmott, P., & Long, S. J. (2001). Place Theory
and Place Maintenance in Indigenous Australia.
Urban Policy and Research, 20(1), 39–56.

3. Key Points
– There are different types and combinations of people-environment interactions.
– Each area in Aboriginal Australia had their own social and economic functions
for usage. There were roles, responsibilities, rules and customs for passing on
knowledge.
– “People” and “Environment” are overlapping and interacting dimensions.
– Dreamtime has no quantified geometry of space or chronology of time, thus
should be viewed as a separate system in both time and space.
– There are 3 levels of change.

4. Arguments made by Author
– Main Argument; Place is, and should be, regarded and used differently
depending on numerous factors.
– The government ignores important factors about place and often disregard
Indigenous beliefs about the land, it’s value and nature. It is important to
maintain the cultural integrity of a place.
– There is a strong relationship between the environment and social knowledge,
and this can vary as it is specific to each site.

5. Definition of Key Terms
– Cross-cultural
– Social Intelligibility
– People-environment Interaction
– Cultural Landscapes
– Spatio-temporal Properties

6. Relation to Botanica 2021
– We need an awareness of “cross-cultural place contestation” in the planning phase of our
projects.
– We must consider the aspects of our installations that we wish to engage with and bring
awareness to for the audience.
– Will the viewer have a role or some responsibility in the installation?
– There may be some value in creating an opportunity for the audience to learn.
– Interaction between human and nature may be important.
– Reaction and interaction within the space; memories and traditions that have been made.
How are the gardens both a space and a place?
– The maintenance of the gardens; how does this change and how is this managed over time?