The two-week launch of City Falls will flow through City Campus from 26 October to 6 November. Image: Stephen Heath.
Step into the foyer of Edith Cowan University (ECU) City Campus, and into City Falls, a digital dreamscape set to transform the campus' entrance into a multi-storey triumph in media architecture.
City Falls is an animated display of floating islands and a cascading waterfall set for a permanent installation on the 407 square metre immersive digital canvas.
One of the first cultural expressions of ECU City since the campus' 2026 opening, each digital island displayed in City Falls is uniquely designed to represent an ECU School, highlighting the distinctive qualities of each School, and Kurongkurl Katitjin, ECU's Centre for Indigenous Australian Education and Research.
City Falls has officially launched at ECU City. Image: Stephen Heath.
The collaboration between ECU staff and students and award-winning experience studio S1T2 has created a public destination to retreat from the energy of the city for a moment of calm, curiosity and wonder.
The two-week launch of City Falls will flow through City Campus from 26 October to 6 November, with enhanced experience hours happening every weekday from 1pm-4pm, and special evening viewings on Wednesday, 28 October and 4 November from 5pm-8pm.
See the full opening City Falls experience schedule here
ECU Vice-President (Engagement) Lorie Helliwell said City Falls reflects ECU's creative ambition and demonstrates the University's commitment to creating meaningful experiences that connect people, culture and place.
"City Falls embodies ECU's vision for a connected and engaged university community. Created alongside our staff and students, it brings together the stories, values and aspirations that shape ECU while creating a distinctive cultural experience for Perth," Helliwell said.
"Through creativity, technology and collaboration, City Falls turns shared ideas into a permanent expression of belonging, inviting students, staff, visitors and the wider community to experience ECU City in a new way while strengthening connections between people, place and community."
City Falls is a collaboration between ECU staff and students and award-winning experience studio S1T2. Image: Stephen Heath.
The stories behind the island designs
Kurongkurl Katitjin
The design of the Kurongkurl Katitjin island honours the enduring knowledge, cultural strength and deep connection to Country of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Meaning "coming together to learn" in Noongar, Kurongkurl Katitjin is reflected throughout the island's design. A Balga tree (grass tree), traditional Mia Mia (shelter), ceremonial Karla (fire) and elements of Dreaming stories celebrate the resilience and shared wisdom of Ancestors across generations.
School of Arts and Humanities
Celebrating creativity, compassion and shared humanity, the School of Arts and Humanities island design aims to bring communities closer together and inspire positive change.
Flowing water around a communal hearth, alongside hands cradling a Tree of Life symbolizes human connection and the power of creative minds in shaping new possibilities.
School of Business and Law
Here a monumental handshake reaches across a global network, representing enterprise, collaboration, and international connection. Balanced scales reflect justice, accountability and ethical leadership, principles that guide progress in a changing world.
Dynamic market indicators and kinetic robotic trees capture the momentum of commerce, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies. Together, they show what becomes possible when innovation is guided by purpose.
School of Education
At the core of the School of Education's island design is a giant anatomical heart supporting a flourishing tree, symbolising education's power to transform lives and strengthen communities.
Together these elements celebrate compassion, connection and lifelong learning, and the role education plays in helping people and communities thrive.
School of Engineering
The School of Engineering island design shows how engineering transforms bold ideas into practical solutions for a sustainable future.
Connected buildings, renewable energy systems and autonomous technologies highlight how innovation and problem-solving drive progression for both people and the planet.
School of Medical and Health Sciences
Centered on the interconnectedness of people and the planet, the School of Medical and Health Sciences island reflects the importance of holistic and collaborative approaches to wellbeing.
Inspired by life-sustaining ecosystems, the design illustrates how multidisciplinary thinking contributes to healthier people and stronger communities, and a more sustainable future.
School of Nursing and Midwifery
From first breaths to final chapters, the School of Nursing and Midwifery island reflects the care, compassion and advocacy woven throughout the human experience.
A living arbour inspired by the passage of time surrounds the island, symbolising the enduring presence of nursing and midwifery through moments of growth, challenge, recovery and renewal.
School of Science
At the heart of the School of Science island design stands a monumental solarpunk tree, symbolising the relationship between how technology, discovery and the natural world come together.
Look closely, and you'll find binary code woven through its branches, containing a hidden message waiting to be decoded. The unsolved code reflects the qualities that drive scientific discoveries forward: curiosity, persistence, and the courage to ask questions.
Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA)
Celebrating creativity, expression and transformation, WAAPA's island reflects its enduring contribution to the performing arts.
Performers dance through lush greenery, symbolising artistic growth and expression, and the power of performance to inspire audiences, foster connection, and bring communities together.
