Solid Yarns

BackgroundThis research sits within participatory design and audio documentary practice, using podcasting as a method for dialogue and reflection at the cultural interface (Nakata 2007). Solid Yarns draws on two-way approaches to co-design (St John 2026) that centre relational exchange between Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledges. While dialogue, care and reciprocity are ethical foundations for co-design, evaluation in participatory design remains under-developed and rarely disseminated (Nguyen et al. 2024). Solid Yarns addresses this gap by exploring podcasting as a relational medium for two-way evaluation and reflective dialogue within First Nations creative collaborations. Contribution Solid Yarns (2025) is a five-part podcast series co-produced by Dr Nicola St John (RMIT University) and Janak Rogers (RMIT School of Media and Communication) in partnership with Solid Lines, Australia’s first Indigenous-led illustration agency. Each episode records conversations between First Nations artists and their industry collaborators, reflecting on how trust, cultural protocols and Indigenous Cultural & Intellectual Property (ICIP) are negotiated in practice. The project develops podcasting as a two-way collaborative and evaluative method. It contributes new frameworks for participatory evaluation that are relational, situated, and dialogical, where knowledge is generated through conversation rather than measurement. Significance Funded through the competitive Alastair Swayn Foundation design audio grant, Solid Yarns exemplifies RMIT’s Responsible Practice strategic priority. It has been featured within national media, including National Indigenous Times, Radio Today, and RMIT News, and was selected for Spotify’s First Nations Podcast Shelf. By documenting real-world First Nations collaborations, the series sets new precedents for culturally safe, sovereign design practice and demonstrates how creative audio research can foster dialogue, reflection and systemic change across Australia’s design industries.