Rug, Wall Hanging, S, Wool, order Aboriginal Design, Chainstitch, Fair Trade, Water Story, Athena Granites, Warlukurlangu, Australia, Living Room

These beautiful woollen embroideries work equally well as floor rugs and wall hangings.
Chain-stitched kilims are a traditional rug making technique from Kashmir. As people sat on the floor they were both homewares and decoration.
The designs are by Australian Aboriginal artists, they are then chain-stitched in wool onto a canvas backing each cushion cover is an interpretation of an original artwork, usually a painting.
Front of each rug is wool embroidered onto a cotton canvas and back is cotton canvas with a non-slip surface.
Each rug has a flap on one of the shorter sides for hanging portrait style, simply slide a piece of dowel or curtain rod in and hang. As the artworks are painting on the ground most of the images do not have a set orientation so can also be hung landscape if preferred.
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These are surprisingly hard-wearing and I use them as both rugs and as and beautifully textured affordable works of art.
Limited Edition: Each rug is individually numbered and shipped with an individual document of Authenticity that gives provenance. No more than 100 rugs will ever be made in this design and size.
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Artist: Athena Nangala Granites of Warlukurlangu Artists, Yuendumu NT
Title: Ngapa Jukurrpa (Water Creation Story) - see details below
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SIZE:
Rectangular: 61 cm (24 inches) x 91.5 cm (36 inches)
Composition: wool (front) and cotton (back)
Color: the color is accurate but more nuanced in real life
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CARE INSTRUCTIONS:
Do not put place/use in direct sunlight or colors may fade. To clean - careful hand-wash in warm water using a wool detergent. Can be ironed on a wool setting.
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Artist: Athena Granites
“I learnt to paint by watching my mother, my sisters and my grandmother paint.” Athena Nangala Granites was born in 1994 in Alice Springs Hospital, the closest hospital to Yuendumu, a remote Aboriginal community 290 km from Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia. She has lived most of her life in Yuendumu, attending the local school and graduating from Senior Girls Upper School in 2009. Since leaving school she has gained work experience working in the office at Mt Theo, a program that provides comprehensive training in youth development and leadership. She has also married Sebastian Jupurrurla Wilson and they have one son, “little Henry Peterson Wilson”. Athena enjoys being Mum to little Henry. Although young, Athena comes from a long line of artists. She is the daughter of Geraldine Napangardi Granites and the grand-daughter of Alma Nungarrayi Granites, well-known artists who paint with Warlukurlangu Artists. She is also the great grand-daughter of Paddy Japaljarri Sims (Deceased) one of the founding artists of Warlukurlangu Artists. Athena has been painting with Warlukurlangu Artists Corporation, an Aboriginal owned and governed art centre located in Yuendumu, since 2010. She paints Jukurrpa from her father's side (Ngapa Jukurrpa – Water Dreaming) and her mother's side (Ngalyipi Jukurrpa – Snake Vine Dreaming and Yanjirlpirri Jukurrpa – Seven Sisters Dreaming), stories which relate directly to her land, its features and the plants and animals that inhabit it. Athena uses an unrestricted palette to develop a modern interpretation of her traditional culture. When Athena is not painting and when the rain comes and it is cooler she likes to go hunting with her family for Honey Ants, Bush Banana, Goanna and Kangaroo.
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About the design: Ngapa (Water)
The site depicted in this painting is Puyurru, west of Yuendumu. At Warlura, a gecko called Yumariyumari blew the storm on to Lapurrukurra and Wilpiri. Bolts of lightning shot out at Wirnpa (also called Mardinymardinypa) and at Kanaralji. At this point the Dreaming track also includes the ‘kurdukurdu mangkurdu Jukurrpa’ (children of the clouds Dreaming). The water Dreaming built hills at Ngamangama using baby clouds and also stuck long pointy clouds into the ground at Jukajuka, where they can still be seen today as rock formations. The termite Dreaming eventually continued west to Nyirrpi, a community approximately 160 km west of Yuendumu. The order water Dreaming then travelled from the south over Mikanji, a watercourse with soakages northwest of Yuendumu. At Mikanji, the storm was picked up by a ‘kirrkarlanji’ (brown falcon [Falco berigora]) and taken farther north. At Puyurru, the falcon dug up a giant ‘warnayarra’ (rainbow serpent). The serpent carried water with it to create another large lake, Jillyiumpa, close to an outstation in this country. The ‘kirda’ (owners) of this story are Jangala men and Nangala women. After stopping at Puyurru, the water Dreaming travelled on through other locations including Yalyarilalku, Mikilyparnta, Katalpi, Lungkardajarra, Jirawarnpa, Kamira, Yurrunjuku, and Jikaya before moving on into Gurindji country to the north.In contemporary Warlpiri paintings, traditional iconography is used to represent the ‘Jukurrpa’ (Dreaming), associated sites, and other elements. In many paintings of this Dreaming, short dashes are often used to represent ‘mangkurdu’ (cumulus & stratocumulus clouds), and longer, flowing lines represent ‘ngawarra’ (flood waters). Small circles are used to depict ‘mulju’ (soakages) and river beds.
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About the BWA chainstitchh kilim products
These beautiful, unique textiles are a cross-cultural collaboration combining Aboriginal designs and traditional Kashmiri rug-making techniques. Chain stitched, using hand dyed wool, each is a completely handmade piece. A more empowering way to work, this brings many direct benefits to the artists' and their community. Control and ownership of intellectual property are also maintained. Purchase of these products guarantees a direct return to the Aboriginal artist and their community.
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About my connection wtih Better World Arts
I met founder of BWA in 2004 whilst doing a consultancy in the APY Lands preparing marketing plans for five art centres for Ananguku Arts. I was gobsmacked by this terrific fair trade project that Kaltjiti Arts was then doing with Caroline Wilson. As a textile nut, the artisan skills and use of wool appealed to me and the rendering of Indigenous designs in rugs and cushion covers is so lovely. I later encouraged them to work with other art centres and introduced them to Warlukurlangu Artists and Injalak Arts. Flick (founder of Flying Fox Fabrics)
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BWA
Better World Arts has been operating for over two decades. Our role models were Oxfam, Fred Hollows (the Fred Hollows Foundation) and Anita Roddick (The Body Shop).
We work with traditional artisans from remote regions in Kashmir, Peru, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Nepal (Tibetan refugees). More recently we have started working with China, making bone china and silk ties.
We work with Australian Aboriginal artists from remote communities across Australia, from Arnhem Land to Central and the Western Desert regions, from rural locations and from cities.