Decolonising Barbie is an experimental design workshop and exhibition hosted by Moussaoui Master Planners and Architects, presented in collaboration with the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS). Rooted in Moussaoui's ongoing research into decolonising architectural practice into Indigenous-Western comparative ontologies, this event repositions Barbie as a tool for cultural dialogue, deconstruction of Western beauty and fashion standards, creative resistance and shared learning.

Participants will be guided by First Nations storyteller and maker Lisa Henderson, who specialises in reclaiming and reconstructing dolls as vessels for Indigenous identity, memory and story. Through hands-on making, learn how to re-design, re-dress, repaint and reinterpret the ubiquitous Barbie figure, transforming her into forms that reflect Country, culture, kinship and lived experience. Leaving the workshop with your own Decolonised Barbie.

The event creates a safe, playful and thought-provoking space to explore how mainstream cultural objects have historically shaped perceptions of beauty, fashion, identity and value - while offering an opportunity to amplify Indigenous voices and creative methodologies. It further aligns with VALS' mission to support cultural strength, community, self-determination and justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Set within Moussaoui's Fitzroy studio on Smith Street, Decolonising Barbie forms a part of a broader commitment to embed Indigenous ways of knowing into design, planning and public engagement. Through collaboration, conversation and co-creation, the event encourages participants to imagine new futures where design is grounded in truth-telling, respect for Country and equitable representation.