In Mia Boe’s dystopian future, scientists use data extracted from DNA and sacred sites to create The Aboriginal Robot. Known as The Dreaming Machine, this robot is designed to repair our mistakes and take care of an environment that has been forcibly neglected and exploited since first arrival. Once consciousness forms however, The Dreaming Machine discovers who is responsible and begins a revolution.
Exhibition Dates: 11 September – 31 October 2026
This exhibition expands Mia Boe’s science fiction story The Aboriginal Robot, first presented at Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery in 2024. Developed in collaboration with April Widdup at Canberra Glassworks, the exhibition leans into the science fiction aesthetic of the figurine, bringing its speculative world into material form. Through flame-worked glass sculpture, canvas painting and window painting, the lore of The Aboriginal Robot unfolds across the university walls. Boe imagines a future in which technology, Country and consciousness converge, transforming this science fiction story into a message of resistance, responsibility and urgency.