How does a student’s concept of home manifest in a Living Belonging?

This is the question 125 students from 11 universities across Australia answered through the creation of objects or art, reflecting on their personal and cultural connections. The initiative, led by Dr Michael Mossman and Elle Davidson from the University of Sydney’s School of Architecture, Design and Planning, brought students together to explore and express their concept of home.

Students created physical Living Belongings—artistic expressions of their cultural and personal relationships to home—that will be exhibited in the Australia Pavilion, HOME, from May to November 2025.

For First Nations University of Sydney student Cilicia Christy, home isn’t a fixed place: “It’s something living, layered, and always changing. My work explores home as a vessel: something we carry, shape, and keep building over time. 

“I used Country as a creative process. I gathered natural materials that reflect my First Nations heritage — maireener shells, seed pods, and plant fibres. 

“Weaving has become a meaningful way for me to reconnect with my Palawa and Ngāti Kahungunu heritage. Through making, I was able to reflect on art from where I come from and what home means to me. “

The Living Belongings selected for exhibition will invite global audiences to reflect on the diverse ways in which home and belonging are understood, celebrated, and shared. The exhibition will serve as a powerful representation of cultural identity, creative process, and material storytelling, reinforcing the role of architecture and design in shaping human experiences of place.

For first-generation Australian Candace Dinkha, it is the thread that binds her to her native tongue: “The gradual loss of my parents’ Assyrian language has felt like cutting the thread that connects me to the people and cultures that make my home. 

“My work examines the way language can endure beyond speech, threading itself into gestures, traditions, and the domestic labours of women in a tapestry of shared experience. 

“This piece is not just mine; it belongs to the women who have sat beside me, reminding me that language is not only spoken, but also felt and lived.” 

A first of its kind, the collaborative learning experience expanded student understandings of Australian First Nations cultural practices. Through deep engagement with place and materials, students examined how diverse cultural backgrounds shape their connection to home and belonging.

Dr Mossman, appointed as the Creative Director for HOME, emphasised the significance of including students in the Biennale: “When we pitched our project for HOME to the Australian Institute of Architects, a core part of our vision was to share this celebration with students. This was conceptualised as a way for students to create Living Belongings that would call the Australia Pavilion home.”

Elle Davidson and academic facilitators across the universities ensured students were supported throughout the project. Dr Mossman highlighted the collaborative success of the program: “Creating this unit of study across 11 universities involved extensive coordination, but it ultimately created a beautiful community. Students embraced Indigenous ways of learning which shaped a deeply meaningful experience.”

Hero image: HOME Australia Pavilion Venice Architecture Biennale May 2025.