Ngalya is a project by Koskela that celebrates contemporary Indigenous fibre arts in Australia. This powerful work that play an important role maintaining cultural practice is also incredibly sought after as lighting.
Created to mark 10 years of Koskela’s collaboration with Indigenous Arts Centres (that began with Yuta Badayala by the weavers of Elcho Island Arts), Ngalya sees Koskela working with Indigenous makers from six different Arts Centres across Australia to create a series of completely new lighting designs.
Co-Founder of Koskela, Sasha Titchkosky, works closely with the artists from each of the centres. “All of the products in Ngalya are woven ‘on country’, on the site of each artist’s ancestral land and place of residence, and are hand woven using locally harvested plant fibres and natural, hand-made dyes,” says Titchkosky.
Continuing this lineage of craft practice is an important part of the project, with many of the artists taught the trade by their parents or grandparents. “When I was taught the basket weaving 37 years ago I reminisced on my grandmother weaving… My main aim in life is to keep this going, to share it and teach it. My goal was to keep it going. And that’s what I did,” says Aunty Ellen Trevorrow from Ngarrindjeri Cultural Weavers in South Australia.
The collection, preparation and weaving of the fibres are all labour intensive processes: harvesting the plants, driving the boat, stripping the leaves, digging up and peeling the roots for dye, soaking the leaves, boiling the pot, drying the fibres all happens before the weaving commences, and are an integral part of production and maintains cultural practices.
Many of the lighting designs are based around existing forms, such as the Ku:yitaipari (fish trap lamp), inspired by traps used to catch fish. These are made with freshwater sedge grasses by the Ngarrindjeri Weavers who collect the rushes around the lakes and rivers of the Coorong areas in South Australia.
The Batjbarra (scoop) light by Bula’Bula Arts is inspired by the scoop that is usually used to collect Rarrgi/Rakayi (water chestnuts).
Bula’Bula Arts also created the Madjirr (string) light which is inspired by the making of bush string and bags.
Other forms are inspired by the land, nature and country. The Taimer (stingray) was developed by Moa Arts on Mua Island, which takes on the form of stingrays found in the ocean – in particular, the Eagle Ray, and smaller blue-spotted stingray.
The Tjanpi Desert Weavers have created Wirra Walykumunu (Beautiful Bowl), a form inspired by Wirra and piti, which are carved wooden carrying vessels utilised daily by women from the Ngaanyatjarra, Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara (NPY) lands.
The last two lights are inspired by concepts of meeting and being together. Yutu Dugitj (to grow together) can be translated as both ‘a seed growing’ or ‘a grey hair sprouting.’ Margaret Gamuti from Milingimbi Art and Culture explains that Yutu Dugitj is also a metaphor for the senior and young women coming together at their art centre.
And Nerrim Wurity (making it together) by Durrmu Arts is inspired by yerrgi (pandanus) circular sunmats and twined, conical ‘airbell’ baskets.
This is outstanding work by talented Indigenous makers, continuing cultural practice to create beautiful and covetable lighting designs. For Koskela, the project is about empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and makers. Outstanding work.
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