Water Dreaming Earrings (WAR05)

The site depicted in this Water Dreaming painting by Julie Nangala Robertson is Pirlinyarnu (Mt. Farewell), about 165 km west of Yuendumu in the Northern Territory. The "kirda" (owners) for the water dreaming site are Nangala/Nampijinpa women and Jangala/Jampijinpa men.

Two Jangala men, rainmakers, sang the rain and unleashed a giant storm that collided with another storm from Wapurtali at Mirawarri. A "kirrkarlanji" (brown falcon) carried the storm further west from Mirawarri. The two storms travelled across the country from Karlipirnpa, a ceremonial site for the water dreaming near Kintore that is owned by members of the Napaljarri/Japaljarri and Napanangka/Japanangka subsections. Along the way the storms passed through Juntiparnta, a site that is owned by Jampijinpa men.<\p>

The storm eventually became too heavy for the falcon. It dropped the water at Pirlinyarnu where it formed an enormous "maluri" (claypan.) A "mulju" (soak) exists in this place today. Whenever it rains today, hundreds of "ngapangarlpa" (bush ducks) still flock to Pirlinyarnu.

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 and stratocumulus clouds) and longer, flowing lines represent "ngawarra" (flood waters.) Small circles are used to depict mulju and river beds.

Created by designer Lisa Engeman, Occulture is a collaboration with Australian indigenous artisans transferring ancient stories and knowledge into contemporary statement jewelry that celebrates and strengthens the songline of culture, knowledge, artists and community. The photoanodized aluminum jewelry with sterling silver or gold-filled fittings is handcrafted in Australia using cutting edge technology.

Occulture is deeply honored to represent the artists they work with, the Warlukurlangu people of the Yuendumu region of the central Australian desert, Gamilaraay woman, Arkeria Rose Armstrong, and a lineage of well-known and respected artists from Utopia and Yuelumu country, including Raymond Walters Japanangka.

The jewelry designs reproduce highlights from artists' paintings. Made by hand, each piece possesses unique, intrinsic beauty with variations in shape, size, and metal finish. The jewelry translates ancient artwork into a contemporary context by utilizing cutting-edge technology to create Occulture's sculptural designs.

Occulture is a preferred supplier for the Museum Shops Australia and New Zealand and a member of the Indigenous Art Code which promotes and regulates the fair and ethical trade in works of art by Indigenous artists. All artwork featured in their jewelry is licensed and royalties are paid directly to the individual artist. Occulture also proudly holds an Australian Made license.

Each piece of Occulture jewelry is gift boxed, with a card describing the artist and the artwork.

Julie Nangala Robertson is one of five daughters born in Yuendumu in 1973 to well-known Telstra Award winning artist, Dorothy Napangardi (Dec 2013). Since the late 1990's, while often in the company of her talented mother, Julie has pursued and developed a creative visual language of her own, one which consists of a fascinating blend of stylised experimentation and ancient narrative.

Usually an aerial perspective along with a more recently and established distinctive monochromatic pallette, Julie's current paintings (which depict the topographical features of her traditional country at the site of Pirlinyanu) have become works of extraordinary optical brilliance as she alternates the size of dots throughout her work as well as building up specific shapes or reference points often repeated with overdotting.

Julie has been painting with Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation, an Aboriginal owned and governed art centre located in Yuendumu, since 2007. She paints her mother's Jukurrpa stories, stories that have been passed down to her by her mother and all the mothers before them for millennia. Her work has been included in numerous collections and exhibitions of Aboriginal Art in both Australia and overseas.

All artwork featured in the Occulture jewelry is licensed and royalties are paid directly to the individual artist. For more information about Julie Nangala Robertson and her artwork please visit warlu.com.