A mobile creative studio will work across the Goldfields in a collaborative project between Curtin University and BHP through its WA Nickel Community Fund, to bring art, science, technology and practical making together.
From laser cutters, 3D printers and textile systems to robotics, ceramic tools and film and publishing equipment, the mobile studio – affectionally dubbed ‘Nugget’ – will travel between Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Kambalda, Leonora, Leinster and Wiluna to help drive the region’s rich cultural intelligence.
Supported by $2 million from BHP’s WA Nickel Community Fund, construction of the 14.8-metre-long mobile production studio is underway, with the first deployment set for March 2027.
Nugget is the travelling centrepiece of The Crucible Effect, a long-term creative industries and research project conceived and led by Western Australian artist and Curtin researcher Associate Professor Kirsten Hudson and hosted by Curtin University’s Kalgoorlie Campus.
Associate Professor Hudson said the project grew from the local community’s creative ingenuity, with Nugget carrying the technology, each community shaping the fit-out and repeated visits building lasting capability across the region.
“The Goldfields region already holds extraordinary ideas, cultural intelligence and ambition. This project will transform those powerful ideas by giving communities the creative and technical tools required to take their creativity to the next level,” Associate Professor Hudson said.
“Nugget is what people will spot on the road. The deeper work is what keeps going after it leaves – a project gets stronger, a skill gets passed on and an idea becomes something people can use, show, sell or teach.
“Bringing art, science, technology and practical making together, this project creates a path from an idea to a finished work, useful product, publication or prototype, and the opportunity to further your study, paid work or enterprise.”
Curtin Kalgoorlie Director Tanya Chambers said the project would drive further education and development across the region by working with young people and schools, building new pathways in justice and transition settings, and developing creative work, products and enterprises.
“Curtin Kalgoorlie gives The Crucible Effect a permanent regional home and we are delighted to welcome all the benefits it will bring to our community,” Ms Chambers said.
“This project will empower people to begin developing an idea or building a skill where they live and visualise a clear next step into further study, employment or enterprise.”
BHP Vice President WA Nickel Annabelle Blom said that initiatives that promote education, development and creativity are a key element of strong, thriving and liveable communities.
“Through the WA Nickel Community Fund, we’re backing the skills, ideas and ambition already present across the Goldfields,” Ms Blom said.
“Our investment will help establish the mobile infrastructure and specialist equipment needed to expand practical learning, local production and enterprise opportunities, bringing lasting benefits to the region.”
Nugget’s design, engineering and construction are underway. Local partnerships, cultural protocols and community briefs will be developed alongside the build.
As part of the project, selected tools and materials will stay in each place, while paid local facilitators will keep projects moving and connect people with TAFE, university, employment and enterprise.
Community partners and participants will shape what is explored, what gets made and what continues after Nugget leaves. They will also decide what becomes public and what stays local, with consent, proper credit and respect for cultural authority.
