Curtin University engaged Artify to lead the public art strategy and coordination for the redevelopment of Building 408 (B408) on the Bentley campus, on Whadjuk Noongar Boodjar. The redevelopment will bring together the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Business and Law, alongside the new Dementia Centre for Excellence. Sitting at the highest point of the Bentley campus, the building forms a prominent new gateway to the precinct.

Working in close consultation with Architectus, Realm Studios, Ochre Project Services, the Aboriginal Reference Group and John Curtin Gallery, Artify shaped a suite of public art opportunities that respond to the site's cultural narratives. The curatorial approach draws on Curtin's Living Knowledge Stream Design Guidelines, the Indigenous Engagement Strategy and the Wirrin Marra Cultural Narrative, with overarching themes of celestial and land navigation, pathways of connection and songlines, the six seasons, and a place of belonging for all.

At the heart of the program is a thoroughfare integrated commission for Noongar artists, located in the undercroft that forms the threshold between the campus entry and the Academic Neighbourhood. Spanning entry soffit, integrated lighting and integrated landscape, the work celebrates Noongar knowledge and perspectives on Country, transforming a high traffic space into an arrival experience rich with storytelling. The opportunity is structured to build Noongar artist capacity for integrated and suspended works through close collaboration with the design team.

A second commission welcomes patients, staff and visitors to the Dementia Centre for Excellence. Conceived as a freestanding or wall based sculpture, it creates a focal point and supports intuitive wayfinding, with approachable forms and soft, nature inspired palettes considered for people living with dementia. Together the commissions reflect pathways of connection and gathering, holding space for stories, memory and community across the precinct.

Artify is guiding the project through a staged, culturally led procurement process, from curatorial framework and artwork briefs through to Expression of Interest, shortlisting and artist selection. The role spans stakeholder engagement, cultural protocols in partnership with Ochre and the Aboriginal Reference Group, coordination with the design team and oversight of the artworks through to delivery.