World renowned collective Decolonising Architecture Art Research (DAAR) are coming to Sydney to participate in the 25th Biennale of Sydney 2026.
As part of their presentation at the Biennale of Sydney DAAR are seeking expressions of interest for volunteer members of the public with a strong commitment to decolonial practice to participate in a shared program titled "ḥaṣīra (حصیرة): Framing and Unframing" with DAAR and Think+DO Tank, Fairfield.
Drawn from the Arabic word ḥaṣīra (حصیرة), meaning a portable, adaptable woven mat the ḥaṣīra is able to turn any ground into a place for sitting, meeting, hosting, mourning, celebrating, striking, and gathering. Its root ح-ص-ر (ḥ-ṣ-r) means to frame, to enclose, to define limits. In Palestine and across the Arab world, the ḥaṣīra frames territory, creates a room without walls, and declares: Here we host. Here we belong for as long as we are here.
To frame is to make a space, to lay the ḥaṣīra (حصیرة) and call others in. To unframe is to refuse the limits imposed on where, how, and why we gather. Each time the ḥaṣīra (حصیرة) is unrolled, it becomes as concrete as the ground it rests on. Light enough to carry under one arm, it adapts to each terrain, moves freely, and transforms spaces without waiting for permission. This adaptability is not just practical, it is political allowing gatherings to unfold in places where formal architecture is absent or denied.
As part of the collaboration with Think+DO Tank Foundation, the program will see 3 formal sessions in March with DAAR where participants will gather on ḥaṣīra laid on public space on unceded Aboriginal Land, where people of different geographies speak to one another through facilitated discussion and where grief, refusal, joy, and co-struggle can be shared. There will also be a fourth session with Think+DO Tank at the close of the Biennale.
The 4 sessions will be held at:
- 4:00pm, Thursday 5 March 2026 - Whitlam Prime Ministerial Home, Cabramatta
- 10:00am, Wednesday 11 March 2026 - Western Sydney Location TBC
- 6:00pm, Monday 16 March 2026 - La Perouse Museum
- Saturday 6 June 2026 (Time TBC) - Think+DO Tank Community House, Fairfield
All participants will be provided with food and refreshments.
Following the discussions the ḥaṣīra will be folded again together with the objects that witnessed the gatherings and brought into the exhibition space at Chau Chak Wing Museum.
In addition to key presentations DAAR will also present an informal program of:
- Casual dinners with DAAR between 2-7 March 2026
- Private conversations and knowledge sharings with DAAR throughout their time in Sydney, 2-17 March 2026
Through this open call, we are inviting you to apply to become part of a core ḥaṣīra group that will follow the entire ḥaṣīra iteration. As a member, you will also be invited to bring friends, companions, and guests as hosts, welcoming them into the process and into the ḥaṣīra community.
For us, this open call is not only about participation in individual sessions, but about beginning to build a core ḥaṣīra community, one based on continuity, hospitality, and shared responsibility.
NOTE: ḥaṣīra (حصیرة): Framing and Unframing is a voluntary program and the Biennale of Sydney is therefore unable to support participants with travel and accommodation costs.