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.研究背景 本研究隶属于参与式设计与音频纪录片实践范畴，以播客作为文化界面上开展对话与反思的方法（Nakata 2007）。「Solid Yarns」采用双向协同设计路径（St John 2026），核心为原住民第一民族（First Nations）与非原住民知识体系间的关系性交流。尽管对话、关怀与互惠是协同设计的伦理基础，但参与式设计领域的评估仍发展不足且鲜有传播（Nguyen et al. 2024）。「Solid Yarns」旨在填补这一空白，探索将播客作为一种关系性媒介，用于原住民第一民族创意合作中的双向评估与反思性对话。 研究贡献 「Solid Yarns」（2025）是一部五集播客系列，由RMIT大学的尼古拉·圣约翰博士与RMIT媒体与传播学院的贾纳克·罗杰斯，联合澳大利亚首家原住民主导的插画机构Solid Lines联合制作。每一集均记录了原住民第一民族艺术家与其行业合作方之间的对话，反思实践中如何协商信任、文化协议以及原住民文化与知识产权（Indigenous Cultural & Intellectual Property, ICIP）。本项目将播客发展为一种双向协同与评估方法，提出了全新的参与式评估框架——该框架具备关系性、情境性与对话性，知识通过对话而非量化测量得以生成。 研究意义 「Solid Yarns」通过竞争性的阿拉斯泰尔·斯温基金会（Alastair Swayn Foundation）设计音频资助项目获批资金，彰显了RMIT的"负责任实践（Responsible Practice）"战略优先级。该系列已获全国媒体报道，包括《国家原住民时报》（National Indigenous Times）、《今日广播》（Radio Today）及RMIT新闻，并入选Spotify的原住民第一民族播客专区（First Nations Podcast Shelf）。通过记录真实的原住民第一民族合作案例，该系列为文化安全、自主的设计实践树立了全新范式，并证明了创意音频研究如何能够在澳大利亚设计行业中促进对话、反思与系统性变革。