Kurunpa Kunpu | Strong Spirit

Photographer: Fiona Susanto

"Kuruṉpa Kuṉpu | Strong Spirit" is the outcome of a 3-year cross-cultural design collaboration between Tanya Singer, Errol Evans, and Trent Jansen that began when Tanya and Errol invited Trent to their homelands in remote South Australia. The designers worked together, learning from each other’s unique relationships with Country, family, and community. By engaging with their respective cultural practices and traditions, the designers have created a collection of works that celebrate the resilience of both First Nations People and ngura (Country), highlighting the potential for intercultural collaboration to embody diverse cultural values and lived experiences.

Through Deep Listening to each other and Country, the collection responds to climate change experienced by the designers’ communities in remote South Australia. The rapidly warming, drying landscape threatens lives and ecosystems, impacting connection to Country and culture. Employing motifs of drying, cracked earth and protection, the collection visually represents the critical thresholds in the Earth’s system and the consequences of environmental degradation. Kuruṉpa Kuṉpu | Strong Spirit invites reflection on the distribution of environmental burdens and benefits and the importance of reengaging with the relationality between community, culture, and Country.

Tanya Singer, of Yankunytjatjara heritage, is a skilled punu (wood) carver instructed by her grandmothers, aunts, and mother. She lives and works in Railway Bore, near Indulkana in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands. Errol Evans, of Yalanji heritage, is a highly skilled wood artist trained by his grandfather. Together, they combine the traditions of the wet tropics and the desert in their work.

Trent Jansen, a designer and academic based in Thirroul, New South Wales, is known for his Design Anthropology approach, which responds to and works with the imperfections of humanity and the natural world. His designs explore the unique identities of individuals, families, and communities, expressing human stories and qualities.

The collection includes works such as "Manta Pilti" (Dry Sand), designed by Tanya Singer and Trent Jansen to communicate the catastrophic effects of climate change on Country around Indulkana. The fading bloom of the Parakeelya flower, which once blanketed the Indulkana hills, symbolizes the hotter, drier conditions and ecosystem degradation caused by climate change. The motif of cracking sand and Tanya’s interpretation of her mother’s favourite flower inform the design of a furniture collection that conveys this complex narrative.

"Kutitji Chair" (Shield), designed by Errol Evans and Trent Jansen, draws inspiration from traditional weapons and shields. Errol's carving skills are showcased in the chair's design, which reflects his concerns about the impacts of climate change and the drying out of Country.

Kuruṉpa Kuṉpu | Strong Spirit is a powerful reminder of the need for environmental responsibility and action. By bringing together the cultural practices and traditions of Tanya Singer, Errol Evans, and Trent Jansen, this collection celebrates resilience and the potential for intercultural collaboration to address pressing global issues. The works invite reflection on the distribution of environmental burdens and benefits, emphasising the importance of reengaging in relationality between community, culture, and Country.

K5 is the proud sponsor of the INDE Influencer category in the 2024 programme. The shortlisted projects, such as Kurunpa Kunpa, embody our company ethos; create only when necessary and always consider the impacts on the future.