Ritualising Leisure

Ritualising Leisure is an invitation to reconsider how time spent together can be oriented towards collective care. Constructed from locally sourced and upcycled materials in Melbourne/Naarm, the exhibition draws on cultural, mythological and oral histories of mangroves and coastal ecologies in Jakarta.

Designed and constructed by Monash Bachelor of Architectural Design students and led by lecturer Bella Singal, this space for collective ritual explores how design can repair relationships between people and more-than-human ecologies. It celebrates multicultural diasporic practices that shape Naarm’s design culture, engaging Indonesian and broader international communities.

Installations of ecologies and 1:1 wall prototypes sit alongside countermaps tracing relationships between Indonesian and international diasporas in Naarm, reconnecting to Jakarta. Each prototype draws on Jakarta’s material histories while working with locally available materials in Naarm, revealing layered narratives embedded in place and material. The works explore ‘circularity’, material lifecycles and afterlives of materials across the Asia-Pacific region.

A series of events, workshops and performances proposes new rituals that respond to social and ecological exhaustion.

Thu 21 May 6 – 8pm - Exhibition launch and ritual performance

Sat 23 May 12 – 6pm - Ritualising Leisure x Nongkrong

Sun 24 May 11am – 3pm - Closing of exhibition

Developed in collaboration with Nongkrong, a public program will celebrate Indonesian diasporic communities in Australia. By inviting audiences to engage in shared making and reflection, Ritualising Leisure expands access to design discourse and advocates for a culturally and socially engaged design practice.

This event is part of Melbourne Design Week 2026, an initiative of the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria.