DUMPED: Geelong Design Week 2026

Australia’s natural environment is unlike anywhere else on Earth. Yet, since 1788, we have suffered the largest documented biodiversity decline of any continent, driven largely by habitat loss and urbanisation.

As cities densify, nature is increasingly pushed to the urban margins, alongside the city’s waste and refuse. With 46% of Australia’s threatened animal species occurring in cities, these spaces are critical for conservation.

DUMPED explores how our cities might make space for nature by transforming discarded objects salvaged from around Geelong into living habitat. Planted with endemic species, the installation represents the region’s volcanic grasslands, woodlands, coastal marshes and riverine wetlands.

Painted red, the objects are stripped of their everyday function and reimagined as ecological structures, revealing the latent habitat potential of residual urban spaces.

DUMPED challenges the boundaries between waste and ecology, while speculating on the landscapes that might emerge once the rubbish collections stop running…

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A huge thank you to ecoDynamics and The GREEN Lab @ Iramoo for supplying the plants!

LAUNCH: Saturday 3 October, 4 pm — all welcome (some drinks provided!). Third Space Gallery (132 Little Malop St).
OPEN: The Third Space Gallery window, all hours 3 October to 11 October.

Explore the full program for DUMPED and the rest of Geelong Design Week.

Thanks to Geelong Design Week and Creative Geelong for their support.