KIP&CO x BÁBBARRA

We are incredibly proud to share the Kip&Co x Bábbarra collaboration with you.

The Bábbarra Women’s Centre is based in Maningrida, Arnhem Land, and is governed by women, for women, to enable future enterprises that support healthy and sustainable livelihoods. Initially started as a safe space for women, Bábbarra now designs and hand-prints textiles that are sold around the world. In 2019, five women from the centre travelled to Paris to exhibit their work - an incredible achievement that recognises the international importance of their art.

In 2018, we received an invitation to collaborate with artists from the Bábbarra Women’s Centre. We have spent the last two years working closely with this group of artists to create a collection that respectfully showcases their contemporary art, and tells the ancestral stories of Arnhem Land counties and cultures.

We recently travelled to the Northern Territory to spend time in the community, and listen to the women tell their stories in their own voice. We were honoured to be able to visit the incredible country around the Maningrida community and, with approval from the traditional land owners, were able to capture some beautiful shots of the collaboration on country.

The partnership between Bábbarra and Kip&Co is best practice, and one that sets a benchmark for future collaborations. Bábbarra and Kip&Co divide all profits from the collaboration equally, so 50% of profits will return to the Bábbarra Women’s Centre.

We’ve been really moved by our experiences in creating the collaboration, and we are so profoundly proud to be able to share the final product with you.

JANET MARAWARR / KUNKURRA

Janet is a talented linocut and screen print designer. She regards textile design as an opportunity to work with colour and a new method to express her djang (ancestral creator stories).

As well as her artistic work with Bábbarra Women’s Centre, she works for the Maningrida Night Patrol, a community safety service.

Janet’s ancestor spirits are Mandjurlukkun (Wild black berries), and Dadbe (King brown snake).

ARTWORK: Kunkurra, 2015

This work depicts the kunkurra, the spiralling wind associated with several sites in the Kardbam clan.

The artwork has two stories. First, it shows the kinds of mini-cyclones common during the wet season in Arnhem Land. Secondly, Kunkurra relates specifically to a site called Bilwoyinj, near Mankorlod, on Janet’s husband’s clan estate. At this site, two of the most important Kuninjku creation beings, a father and son known as nakorrkko, are believed to have hunted and eaten a goanna. They left some of the goanna fat behind at the site, which turned into the rock that still stands there today.

Kunkurra, 2015 © Janet Marawarr / Licensed by Copyright Agency
These images are not to be reproduced without the approval of the licensor.

RAYLENE BONSON / WUBBUNJ

Raylene is a talented textile artist, specialising in linocut technique. She has been working with Bábbarra Designs since 2012. Raylene was mentored by her late mother, Nancy Gununwanga, a senior textile artist at Bábbarra Designs and a founding member of Bábbarra Women’s Centre.

Raylene is well known for her designs depicting ancestral stories and ceremonial objects, in particular lorrkkon (hollow log for burial ceremony), kunmadj (dillybag) and mandjabu (conical fishtrap).

Her ancestor sprits are Yawkyawk (female water spirit), and Djaddi (green monkey frog).

ARTWORK: Wubbunj, 2016

“Wubbunj is our traditional canoe.This design is the old history story of how people came to live in this place we call Maningrida.Two old people were staying on the other side of the saltwater, in Narlarrambarr area.The old people slept in a paper bark shelter and hunted on the water using their canoe.

One day these old people saw a new boat in their waters, which belonged to the Makassans (Indonesians).Those two old men saw the big Makassan boat coming in, and decided to paddle their canoe from Narlarrambarr to the other side (modern day Maningrida).We were scared of the Makassans, they gave us tobacco and tea, but they took many of our women.

When those two old people tasted that water at Maningrida from the Djomi spring, it was sweet freshwater and they decided to stay here.”

Wubbunj, 2016 © Raylene Bonson / Licensed by Copyright Agency
These images are not to be reproduced without the approval of the licensor.

DEBORAH WURRKIDJ / MAREBU

This is Deborah’s second artwork featured in this collaboration.

Deborah Wurrkidj is a Kuninjku artist from the Kurulk clan whose country lies around the outstation of Mumeka in central Arnhem Land. She is an accomplished artist working across mediums including painting, sculpture, weaving and textile design.

Deborah is world renowned for her bark painting, lorrkkon (hollow logs), and fibre baskets. She has exhibited widely since 2001, throughout Australia as well as in Europe and the United States. She is represented in most of Australia’s state gallery collections.

Her ancestor spirits are Dadbe (King brown snake), Djimarr (Black crow), and Buluwana (woman spirit).

ARTWORK: Marebu, 2012

This artwork depicts Marebu, woven pandanus mats, which Deborah often weaves for the Maningrida Arts and Culture Centre, the sister Art Centre to Bábbarra Women’s Centre in Maningrida.

When creating mats, artists commonly use a mix of naturally dyed and undyed fibre to create a striking variation of coloured bands. Some artists also incorporate different techniques of looping and plaiting to produce various patterns and textured finishes.

Marebu, 2012 © Deborah Wurrkid / Licensed by Copyright Agency
These images are not to be reproduced without the approval of the licensor.

MARGOT GURAWILIWILI / DJENJ DJA KOMRDAWH

In addition to being a strong textile artist, Margot is also a talented weaver, skillfully weaving pandanus into colourful baskets and dillybags. She uses a number of weaving techniques, including coiling and twinning, and makes a range of functional and ceremonial objects, including baskets, dilly bags, string bags and mats.

Margot is renowned for her bold designs, the consistency of her weave and her sophisticated sense of form. She is confident sourcing a diverse range of pigments from natural plant materials, such as leaves, roots and berries.

ARTWORK: Djenj dja komrdawh, 2006

“My country is called Mankorlod. It is near the rock country. My dreaming is komrdawh (long neck turtle), the one I painted in my design. I like to eat komrdawh, it tastes really nice.We catch them in dry and wet season near Mankorlod. This is my first ever design, and I only have one design. I painted it with brush at Bábbarra Women’s Centre, and I feel proud when people print my design.”

The vines depicted in this design grow naturally on the floodplains in Arnhem Land and are used by women to weave and create fibre sculpture.The long-necked turtle and freshwater fish depicted are popular bush foods.

Djenj dja komrdawh, 2006 © Margot Gurawiliwili / Licensed by Copyright Agency
These images are not to be reproduced without the approval of the licensor.

DEBORAH WURRKIDJ / MANWAK

DeborahWurrkidj is a Kuninjku artist from the Kurulk clan whose country lies around the outstation of Mumeka in central Arnhem Land. She is an accomplished artist working across mediums including painting, sculpture, weaving and textile design.

Her ancestor spirits are Dadbe (King brown snake), Djimarr (Black crow), and Buluwana (woman spirit).

ARTWORK: Manwak, 2017

This incredible artwork depicts the Manwak flower which grows near Mumeka creek, on the Deborah’s homeland.

The beautiful large flower blooms during the mandjewk (wet season). It has deep green petals with a central red kernel which swells to the size of a berry. It is known for its long, sweeping petals which seem to dance in the winds.

By dry season, the inside kernel resembles a strawberry in appearance and flavour, but is also very spicy so it burns our mouth. Kids and adults pick these berries enthusiastically when walking or going hunting on my country.The inside of the flowers are eaten fresh, a favourite manme (bush food) of Kuninjku people.

“When I was painting this Manwak story, I was painting in Maningrida. In my head I was dreaming of being on my homeland, eating ripe Manwak berries.”

Manwak, 2017 © Deborah Wurrkid / Licensed by Copyright Agency
These images are not to be reproduced without the approval of the licensor.

HELEN LANYINWANGA (deceased) / NGARDUK KUNRED

Helen was a senior textile artist with Bábbarra Designs since 2008. Helen had a key role mentoring young and emerging artists, and she is mother to leading Bábbarra artists including Jennifer Wurrkidj and Deborah Wurrkidj (pictured here proudly with her mother’s design), both of whom are part of the Kip&Co collaboration.

Helen was also an accomplished artist in other mediums, notably basket weavings and prints on paper. Her artwork has toured the United States and been exhibited throughout Australia, and her textile art is in the collection of the National Gallery of Australia.

Helen’s ancestor spirits were Djaddi (green monkey frog), Yawkyawk (female water spirits).

ARTWORK: Ngarduk Kunred, 2017

“My design is of the kunbad (rocks) at the kunwardde (stone country). I call this country mother.These rocks live at the bottom of the kunronj (fresh water)- some are old, some are cracked and some are soft.The kunronj runs over the stones, and when we drink
this water it tastes sweet and fresh.”

This design depicts the stone country nearYikarrakkal, which is Helen’s mother’s traditional country. It is country filled with important sacred sites and living spirits under the river bed hiding among the rocks.

JENNIFER WURRKIDJ / KUNRONJ

Jennifer is a Kuninjku artist from the Kurulk clan whose country lies around the outstation of Mumeka in central Arnhem Land.

Sister of Deborah Wurrkidj, the two women are the nieces (daughters in Kuninjku relational terms) of Australia’s most highly acclaimed bark painter, John Mawurndjul. The two women are renowned, in their own right, for their bark paintings, hollow logs and carved sculptures.

Jennifer’s artwork has been exhibited throughout Australia and her textile art is in the collection of the Art Gallery of South Australia.

Jennifer’s ancestor spirits are Dadbe (King brown snake), Djimarr (Black crow), and Buluwana (woman spirit being).

ARTWORK: Kunronj, 2007

This artwork depicts important manme (food) from freshwater environments on Jennifer’s country and the traditional tools used to gather them.The kunkaninj (digging stick) is used to dig for wayuk (waterlily) roots, which are eaten fresh from the water or cooked on an open fire.

The kunkaninj is also used to find and dig freshwater komrdawh (long necked turtles) which hibernate on the floodplains during the dry season.Various fish species including the birlmu (barramundi) are hunted with a spear or trapped inside a woven fish trap. After they are collected and hunted, these foods are carried back to camp in woven dilly bags called kunmadj.

ELIZABETH WULLUNMINGU / BARNKABARRA

Elizabeth was born in Darwin. She started sewing and designing at Bábbarra in 2010 and is a key member of the sewing team.

Elizabeth artistic talent comes from her mother who was an artist for the iconic Desert Designs label. Elizabeth designed and sewed outfits for the 2018 Commonwealth Games!

Her ancestor spirits are Rrugurrgurda (Crab) and Jin-Merdawa (Saltwater Mermaid).

ARTWORK: Barnkabarra, 2010

This design tells the story of Elizabeth’s homeland, east of Maningrida, at the mouth of Blyth river. Many families go to that country to collect crabs, hunting in mangrove holes with long sticks, or spearing the crabs directly on the shore. Mud crabs hide in the muddy bottoms of estuaries and mangrove forests in areas surrounding Maningrida.After a king tide, a large cyclical tide which bring the crabs out from the mangroves, it is the perfect time to find crabs.

Rrugurrgurda (mud crabs) is pronounced Ahh-rewg-gurd-gurda in the Burarra language. Rrugurrgurda are good baladji (bush food in Burarra) and can be caught all year round.They are put on the fire to cook and they are ready when they turn a bright orange colour.

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