RMIT's Australian Posthuman Lab weaves Indigenous knowledges and planetary thinking to tackle polycrisis

The interdisciplinary laboratory explored the intersections between posthuman methods and First Peoples' knowledges to develop creative, place-based responses to climate and planetary crises.

The third Australian Posthuman Summer Lab, an initiative of RMIT's Planetary Civics Inquiry, was held from 2 - 10 February in Naarm Melbourne. This final Lab in the trilogy will produce an atlas of posthuman methods exploring the nexus between posthuman and First Peoples' knowledges, focusing on relationality, regeneration, and decentering the human. It was led by 'Radical Ancestors', Professor of Practice Rosi Braidotti and Professor N'arweet Carolyn Briggs AM (Monash University), with Associate Professor Troy Innocent (RMIT School of Design) and Dr Fiona Hillary (RMIT School of Art).

Building on posthuman methods developed in the inaugural Lab in 2024 and inspired by the Utrecht Summer School (where Rosi Braidotti is Distinguished University Professor Emerita), this iteration focused on ways of mapping and being on Land and Sea Country in Naarm Melbourne. It was co-delivered locally with the Boonwurrung Land and Sea Council, Yalukit Willam Nature Reserve, Wandoon Estate Aboriginal Corporation, the Wurundjeri Council and Melbourne Water.

As the most ambitious and nomadic version to date, facilitators, provocateurs and participants from a range of backgrounds and creative disciplines took part in workshops across three sites. They collectively developed and refined posthuman methods to carefully navigate the intersections between feminist new materialisms, eco-feminism, socio-technical theory and Indigenous philosophies.

The Lab's core premise, that the climate crisis urgently compels us to address the interdependence of human, non-human, and more-than-human entities, provided a platform to experiment with profound shifts in ethical and technological paradigms, challenging longstanding patterns of anthropocentrism.

"In this final lab of the inaugural trilogy, we asked: 'how does place shape language and through this entanglement our collective social imaginary, our reality?' Regenerative futures demand new ecological literacies and planetary civics that transcend traditional boundaries," said Associate Professor Troy Innocent.

The Upper Yarra Reservoir provided a site for engagement with industrial ecologies and river rights through listening, walking, and witnessing methods on Wurundjeri Country, with Dr Emily Jones, a Senior Research Fellow from Newcastle University Law School and Chris Hume, a Wurundjeri Knowledge Holder.

At Point Nepean Monmar, N'arweet Carolyn Brigg guided participants across Boonwurrung Country, exploring Sea Country's tidal, material and oral knowledges with Alison Souter and Gio Fitzpatrick from Yalukit Willam Nature Association.

From the Dandenong Ranges to Coranderrk, participants witnessed climate-damaged forests and multispecies relations through grief, debris ecology and care practices on Wurundjeri Country with Dr Goda Klumbyte from Kassel University and artist Gretel Taylor.

Together, these site-specific methods explored how posthuman approaches resonate with ancient Indigenous practices, including regenerative and restorative methodologies grounded in place, sovereignty, and resilience.

"Particularly in cities, our challenge is to reconsider our role in the intricate web of life. Posthumanism is a way into a future where all entities collaborate for planetary resilience and flourishing," said Dr Fiona Hilary.

One notable outcome of the Lab trilogy was 'Hot & Heavy', a performance by The Ironing Maidens (Melania Jack and Patty Preece) at Midsumma 2026. They drew inspiration from their participation in the Lab in 2025, saying: "We wrote the initial incarnation of our show, Hot & Heavy, coming out of Cairns Summer in 2023. The climate crisis felt particularly acute in our personal lives, having experienced both rainforest fires and floods. We rerouted our practice, stepping outside the domestic sphere to tackle more global concerns."

"Participating in the Lab blew our minds open and rewired them, helping us see the bigger picture. We reworked the show's content, needing to bring our collaborators and audiences on the journey that we'd undertaken," they continued.

Learn more about the Australian Posthuman Summer Lab.

Learn more about RMIT's Planetary Civics Inquiry.