OCULUS was part of the winning design team for the Adelaide Contemporary International Design Competition, with Diller Scofidio & Renfro and Woods Bagot. After a change in state government in 2018, the project was reconceptualised as an Aboriginal art and culture centre.

Grounded on Kaurna land, Tarrkarri will provide a platform for First Peoples to share their cultures and tell their stories. The design includes spaces for permanent and visiting exhibitions, cultural performances, meetings and ceremonies, gatherings and events, and a café and retail space. OCULUS is collaborating with Kaurna Traditional Owner and landscape architect/visual artist Paul Herzich on the project.

The concept for the building, reminiscent of a series of basket-like forms, will be intimately connected to the landscape, with an outdoor gallery cantilevered over a terraced amphitheatre at the northern end of the site. At the interface with North Terrace, reflective pools and mounds of Indigenous planting create an immersive landscape experience and reminder of Country at the entrance to the Centre.

Interconnected pathways will wind around the building and flow into smaller, quiet spaces throughout the site to enable visitors to take time out from the city environment and immerse themselves in the landscape.