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The panel discussion sits alongside VEIL, a solo exhibition of atmospheric paintings by Irish-Australian artist Leyla Bulmer who is based locally in Shoreham. This exhibition is on view at Lander—Se from 31 October to 22 November. The work sits in the misty threshold between sea and sky. VEIL is expansive in scale and asks to be looked at slowly, continuing Lander—Se's ongoing study of the Australian landscape and the spirit it carries.
Our panel discussion, Designing for Nature, carries that same question into architecture and the built world: how a site's history and conditions shape what gets made on it, and what it means to design with land rather than against it. Three vantage points on the same terrain, from regenerative design at a global scale, to a single house on a single block, to a home built with wildlife in mind.
Speakers
Marnie Hawson
Marnie Hawson spent a decade as an environmental scientist before becoming a photographer of sustainable architecture, green infrastructure and regenerative landscapes. She is Australia's only Certified B Corp photographer, and a member of 1% for the Planet and Climate Neutral. Marnie is the founder of Wild Houses, a one-to-one nest box pledge for built environment businesses, and The Biodiversity Toolkit, which turns Biodiversity Sensitive Urban Design principles into something a designer can specify and put in a tender.
Michael Nowlan
Michael Nowlan is Head of Design at The Sociable Weaver and brings more than ten years of experience in architecture and construction. He is a Certified Passive House Designer and completes a Life Cycle Assessment on every project using eTool, measuring a home's environmental impact across its whole life. His design approach takes its cues from natural patterns and starts with listening closely to clients, so each home fits how they live now and how that will change. His aim is homes with a zero environmental footprint.
Amanda Sturgeon
Amanda Sturgeon is the CEO of The Biomimicry Institute and a visionary architect dedicated to re-connecting people and nature. Amanda is an award-winning Architect, thought leader and author of Creating Biophilic Buildings, and a contributor to All We Can Save. She is a Fellow of The American Institute of Architects, a TED speaker and currently a member of the Knowledge Council for the Center for Livable Cities and on the boards of the Climate Action Network Australia and Regen Sydney.
Moderator
Hannah Nowlan
Hannah Nowlan is an artist, curator and the founder of Lander—Se, an artist-run gallery in Red Hill that gives emerging and mid-career artists a rural space to show work made in dialogue with landscape and material. Her own practice moves between painting, scent and installation, and in 2025 she became the owner of Nunchi Oils. She holds a BFA from the Victorian College of the Arts and works in styling and creative direction for architecture and design studios, which shapes how she thinks about space, composition and place.
Exhibiting Artist
Leyla Bulmer
Leyla Bulmer is an Irish Australian artist working on Boon Wurrung and Bunurong Country on the Mornington Peninsula. Living between Ireland and Australia has shaped her interest in belonging and the ties between people, place and the more-than-human. She paints with ink poured and layered over canvas, letting the material soak and move beyond her control, so each work becomes an imagined landscape held by the body. Leyla has held solo exhibitions in Australia, India and Sri Lanka, completed residencies across Australia and South Asia, and is represented by Lander—Se.