The Flood CoP Tapestry: A living story of people, purpose, and practice in flood resilience
The Flood Community of Practice (Flood CoP) Tapestry is a creative and conversational snapshot of the diverse practitioners shaping floodplain management across Australia.
Develop during the 2025 Floodplain Management Australia (FMA) National Conference in Melbourne, the tapestry weaves together insights from community leaders, researchers, engineers, and public servants. Through illustrated avatars and short stories, it captures their lived experiences and collective wisdom.
As you listen to each interview, you will find out more about the person and their role, what are some key priorities in their work and the skills they use to enable flood resilience benefits to flow.
“The team enjoyed doing this pilot version of the Tapestry, and we hope we can repeat and expand this opportunity with future audiences” – Piet Filet
How we created the Tapestry?
- We began with short chats with conference attendees to hear their stories and understand their role in flood resilience (from community engagement to policy development).
- Using the empty tapestry, we worked together to place each person in the space that best reflected their contribution to the sector.
- Everyone was then assigned a personalised avatar, helping bring the Tapestry to life.
An introduction by Piet Filet
Explore the Tapestry: Interactive storyboard
Click on the avatars below to explore the diverse flood resilience experiences and stories shared at the FMA Conference.
To explore the board with avatars, click on ‘See the Board.’ You can zoom in and out, move around freely, and switch to full-screen mode for a better view.
Why the Tapestry matters
- Humanises complex technical conversations
- Celebrates diversity in roles, backgrounds, and lived experience
- Creates a legacy piece for future events
- Fosters deeper engagement and community storytelling
- Bridges the gap between sectors and roles
Meet the people behind the Tapestry
- Concept and interviews by Piet Filet
- Design by Hayley Langsdorf
- Marketing and Communications by Adriana Sanchez-Rosas
- Produced by Flood CoP, June 2025
Follow up opportunities
- If your avatar is listed but your video hasn’t been recorded yet, get in touch with us to arrange it.
- Would you like a PDF version of the tapestry? Email us to info@floodcop.com.au