Project
MOORT DESIGNS
Country
Year
Location
Our Role
Team
Whadjuk Boodjar
CURRENT
Perth / Boorloo
Furniture Design
Peter Farmer, Jason Hirst, Oliver Chiari, Melanie Thorpe
“We wanted to remind people who travel through the space of the older world – our connection to the natural environment.”
Jason Hirst, Co-Founder
Moort Designs was created through a shared vision of celebrating culture, creativity, and connection through contemporary Indigenous design. Grounded in storytelling and community, the project explores how art, spatial design, and cultural knowledge can come together to create meaningful experiences that honour both Country and people.
Working collaboratively across design, public art, and creative practice, Moort Designs reflects a deep respect for Noongar culture and the importance of embedding authentic First Nations perspectives within contemporary spaces. Through an approach that values listening, collaboration, and cultural integrity, the project seeks to create work that is both visually impactful and deeply connected to place.
Drawing inspiration from traditional stories, natural landscapes, and collective experiences, Moort Designs integrates artistic expression with contemporary design thinking to create environments and objects that carry identity, memory, and meaning. Each outcome is shaped through a process that prioritises community connection, cultural continuity, and creative exploration.
More than a design initiative, Moort Designs represents a platform for collaboration, storytelling, and shared understanding. It is an evolving expression of culture through art and design, creating opportunities for connection, reflection, and ongoing dialogue between past, present, and future.
This project was developed through a deeply collaborative co-design process, bringing together Peter Farmer Designs, Moort Designs, artists, cultural advisors, and the broader creative team to create outcomes grounded in story, culture, and connection to Country.
Together, the team explored ways to integrate contemporary Indigenous design, artistic expression, and cultural storytelling through meaningful and immersive experiences. Central to the project was the development of a design philosophy that connected traditional knowledge with contemporary practice, expressing identity, memory, and community through layered narratives, materiality, and spatial design interventions.
Drawing inspiration from Noongar culture, natural landscapes, and shared experiences, the project sought to create more than visual outcomes alone. Each element was carefully considered to foster connection, reflection, and a deeper understanding of place through art, design, and storytelling. Through this collaborative approach, Moort Designs became a platform for cultural exchange and creative exploration, celebrating the ongoing relationship between people, Country, and contemporary Indigenous design practice.
OUR DESIGN PROCESS
The project began with researching and interpreting Noongar symbolism, stories, and connections to Country. Through sketching, dialogue, and cultural exploration, key themes of community, movement, gathering, and identity were translated into contemporary design concepts that could exist within functional furniture and spatial experiences.
Once the concepts were established, the designs were developed digitally using 3D modelling software. This stage involved refining forms, testing proportions, exploring materiality, and creating rendered visualisations that communicated how the pieces would look, feel, and exist within real environments.
The next stage focused on collaboration with Tait to transform the concepts into manufacturable products. Through ongoing design development, technical detailing, and prototyping, the partnership explored how cultural narratives and contemporary furniture design could merge within a high-quality production process.
The final stage brought the designs into physical form through fabrication and production. Materials, finishes, and construction methods were carefully considered to ensure the final pieces maintained both their cultural storytelling and functional integrity, resulting in a collection that connected contemporary design with Noongar identity and place.
The Moort Designs collection consists of five unique products, each inspired by Noongar symbolism, storytelling, and connection to Country. Designed as a cohesive family, the collection shares a consistent 90mm diameter profile that creates a clean and contemporary visual identity across all pieces.
Each product is also named using Noongar language, drawing from the dictionary developed by Peter Farmer. By connecting every piece to a specific Noongar word and meaning, the collection becomes both a storytelling device and an opportunity to educate people about Noongar language and culture.
Fabricated from aluminium for its sustainability and durability against Australia’s harsh climate, the products were powder-coated to achieve the refined finish that defines the Moort Designs aesthetic while ensuring long-term performance in outdoor environments.
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