The Balgo Hills Aboriginal settlement (Wirrimanu) is a located on the northern edge of the Great Sandy Desert and on the western edge of the Tanami Desert, 850km north-west of Alice Springs. Wirrimanu perches on the edge of a harsh but beautiful escarpment and is home to The Warlayirti Artists, some of Australia’s most innovative and successful contemporary indigenous painters renowned for their wild and explosive use of colour. The lynch-pin of the community is the Warlayirti Art and Cultural Centre, one of over 40 art centres funded by ATSIC which serves the needs of the 300 artists who live in Wirrimanu and the three surrounding communities of Mulan, Yagga Yagga and Bililuna. Senior established artists include Eubena Nampitjin, Susie Bootja Bootja, Lucy Yukenbarri, Helicopter Tjungarrayi, Boxer Milner and Tjumpo Tjapanangka. An Art Centre has existed in Balgo since 1988 with a purpose built facility being opened in April 1999, through funding from a variety of sources including ATSIC, WA Lotteries Commission and the Wirrimanu council and artists themselves. More recently, the Cultural Centre and glass studio opened in July 2001 with funding provided by WA Lotteries, Country Arts WA, ATSIC and the Artists Foundation of WA.

The Arts Centre was under the administration of Erica Izett and Tim Acker and Jo Foster directed the Cultural Centre when I visited. Having successfully conducted silk, mosaic, printmaking and video workshops and excited by the positive impact slumped-glass made on the community of Warburton in Western Australia the co-ordinators saw great possibilities for translating the vibrant subject matter of the Warlayirti Artists into a means of engaging a broader section of the community in cultural activity other than painting and ultimately as a source of generating revenue for the Cultural Centre. Through discussions with Sydney glass artist Jessica Williams, supplies were ordered which would encourage the artists to translate their own sensibilities into glass. A large Woodrow electric glass kiln and an extensive palette of Bullseye glass including 3mm coloured and clear sheet, rod, stringers, powders and frits along with all the tools necessary to operate a glass studio were ordered from Sydney and Brisbane.

Fusing workshops

Erica selected an initial group of artists of various ages including Lucy Yukenbarri and her daughter Christine, Trevor Mutji and Susie Bootja Bootja. It was originally planned for this small group of artists to participate almost exclusively in the first of four funded workshops, but the interest from the community exceeded initial expectations and subsequently many explored the new medium. I was chosen to set up and facilitate the first workshop because of my work with fused glass and background in graphic design, giving me an appreciation of what was required to translate the indigenous art into glass. My husband, John Hoogendoorn, accompanied me and his skills as a product designer were put to good use in constructing bush furniture for the glass studio.

In late June, 2001, John and I overnighted in Kununurra on the far north coast of Western Australia prior to an early morning departure in a tiny 6 seat mail plane, stopping at several remote outback stations before arriving in Balgo. Camp dogs roamed freely around the tiny community from the collection of housing camps to its major buildings - the Art and Culture Centre, chapel, general store, school and police station. The glass studio remained empty until a freight truck arrived on our first night causing a great deal of excitement within the community. After waiting for a small python to slither out of the way of the forklift, the kiln and myriad glass supplies were unloaded and moved into the studio.

In the morning John and I started unpacking the crates of glass, members of the community and their dogs came into the glass studio and were in awe of the sheets of colour and the bottles of powder and frits. The bubble wrap which had held so much product became a much sought after prize amongst the kids! We also discovered that the three-phase powerpoint which had been built in did not match the plug on the kiln. A new switch was quickly ordered from Kununurra and flown in on a charter flight which one of the artists had organised to bring some friends in. The passengers didn’t arrive so the switch travelled solo on the flight to Balgo! John worked with any timber products he could find to create furniture for the studio. The wooden exterior packing of a window frame formed a sturdy table top while the crates which contained the glass became table bases and storage units. Many of the children in the community took a great interest in the activities and were very keen to help sand edges, unpack or paint and many would come in each day. One group of young girls helped to make shadow boards, working as a group to paint around the shapes of tools and then illustrate the wood with their names and flowers in all sorts of colours. To prevent mishaps with broken glass sandshoes were provided for the artists and these shoes were much sought after by the young boys in the community. They often asked if they could wear them and then danced around the studio and pretended to play basketball in them. Dust masks for working with powders became the subject of much hilarity and the kids loved posing in them for photographs.

The first workshops saw the artists getting used to the medium and experimenting with myriad colours and various forms of glass, applying the glue and glass pieces to their base glass ‘canvas’ and experimenting with layering and juxtaposition of colour to create works of art. Coarse frit in several favourite colours - reds, oranges, yellows, pinks and adventurine green - was in great demand and extra glass was flown in especially on the next mail plane. Many artists depicted their land with topographical features such as waterholes and the abundance of ‘bush tucker’ to produce innovative and highly colourful fused panels of glass.

The relationships formed with the artists made this experience incredibly worthwhile. Susie Bootja Bootja and Tjumpo Tjapanangka in particular were an absolute joy to work with, their generosity of spirit, persistence and awesome talent continue to inspire. After putting on Susie’s sandshoes I would help her into the stack of plastic outdoor chairs required to boost her to the working surface where she would often stay from 9am to 8pm, stopping briefly for a cup of milky tea and biscuits, shouting out my name and tapping her stick on the ground in a cheeky attempt to get my attention. Susie’s work is based heavily on dots, therefore rod was broken into tiny ‘dots’ using a tile cutter and painstakingly placed in lines to replicate her painting style, whereas Lucy layered colours upon eachother to create a random effect. Eubena made several pieces before she began to design in her trademark manner. Using coarse pink and yellow frits and fine powders she was encouraged to create ‘retaining’ triangles and fill them with contrasting colours. This was a great breakthrough and she was able to translate her style from painting to glass. Tjumpo related the stories of his land and its abundant riches as we worked on several large panels depicting his country utilising long strips of coloured glass to represent sandhills which he would sprinkle with dots of ‘bush tucker’. He took great joy in his work and would proudly fetch the coordinators to show off his finished glass. Each artist’s style is different and I found it helpful to work with images of their paintings, to emulate sections in glass and to use glass to suit.

At the end of each working day as the most vibrant sunset cast long shadows across the red sand of the Art Centre compound, the air filled with the joyous sounds of the kids playing Aussie Rules football and the local Balgo bands practicing for the Culture Centre opening, John and I braved the freezing nights rugged up in jackets and beanies to break up never ending pieces of rod for the following day. The children of the community maintained their interest in the day to day activities in the studio and often wanted to learn glass cutting techniques and to help with the workshops. In fact, several children helped me considerably, learning how to use the tile cutters and jumping at the chance to cut up the rod. Each day there would be anywhere from 2 to 20 people wanting to participate in the activities and with numerous works to be fused, the firing schedule required the kiln to be at top temperature at the end of the day. This was not always possible, and one memorable night saw the kiln being crashed from top temperature in the wee hours of the morning while fending off the freezing cold of the desert night wrapped in bubble wrap. This coupled with an erratic power supply, insects committing suicide on the lid of the kiln, geckos, mice, spiders and the howling Balgo wind made for some interesting late nights in the glass studio.

Collecting bush tucker, being given a skin name (Napurrula) and singing with the women while cooking sand-frogs on the campfire were privileges I enjoyed during the first month long stay in Balgo. In the leadup to the official opening of the Culture Centre and glass studio the young girls of the community put the finishing touches on their beautiful mural, the women practiced their traditional dance, the bands improved and people began arriving from other communities and cities around Australia. Senator Alston officially opened the Centre, visitors from as far away as Fitzroy Crossing performed traditional dance, an enormous barbecue of cattle was enjoyed and the bands played late into the night. Balgo glass was a great success, with most pieces selling on the day to art dealers and gallery representatives from all over Australia.

May 2002 brought another opportunity to travel to Balgo and work with the artists to create further flat fused panels for upcoming exhibitions. Several smaller works were showcased in a Balgo painting and glass exhibition which opened with great success on 17 May at the Fremantle Arts Centre and fourteen major glass works supported the brilliant pinks, yellows and oranges of Eubena Nampitjin’s canvases at Alcaston Gallery in Melbourne later in the same month.

The Coolamon Project

The wooden coolamon is lesser known by the general population than the mens objects such as boomerangs. It is a traditional women’s object which is held under the arm to carry babies and collect bush foods. During the initial workshop, John and I discussed with the co-ordinators the possibility of creating coolamons out of glass, with the colourful works being slumped to form three dimensional objects. It was planned for February 2002 and that I would require support from a team of glass artists. As a masters student at Monash University, I was able to pick some of the most talented young glass artists in Australia today to assist with the project. Artist in residence and Masters student Bethany Wheeler is an outstanding warm glass artist exploring the theme of the built and natural environment within her work. Proficient in mould making and fusing techniques her contribution was essential. Masters student Graham Orridge is an excellent cast glass artist and was selected for his mould making abilities, technical expertise and polishing skills. Furthermore, these artists had the kind of temperament and work ethic which would enable them to cope with high temperatures, technical hitches, power failures, plagues of insects and isolation for several weeks. Warm Glass lecturer and PHD candidate George Aslanis oversaw the construction of six ceramic drop through moulds and provided technical support from Melbourne. His guidance and support in all of the workshops was critical to their success. The team selected plenty of equipment to slump and polish the glass coolamons including a hand held polishing unit and diamond saw to assist with the project.

Nothing prepared us for the twelve hour journey across the Tanami Track. We left Alice Springs in a landcruiser crammed with well packed ceramic moulds, the diamond saw and boxes of food on a 38 degree day. We had no airconditioning and made frequent stops along the road to drench ourselves in water. On reaching the Rabbit Flat ‘roadhouse’ we all literally jumped out of the troopie and ran and danced under two sprinklers until we were absolutely soaked. As the moon shone brightly it was a great relief to see familiar landmarks and finally the lights of Balgo. The community was actually very quiet as initiation of the young men and sorry business was taking place and we spent the first few days cleaning out the red dust which had coated everything in the studio, working out a plan of attack, enjoying a swimming day at Lake Mulan and generally trying to beat the oppressive heat. The nights were spent eating fantastic communal meals, boiling water for drinking, sitting in the ‘motel’ (a house turned into makeshift accommodation for visitors) cutting up rod and playing scrabble. Occasionally we would make a special trip to the bluff and watch the sun set and moon rise simultaneously on opposite sides of the escarpment.

Because of the searing temperatures we decided to work indoors. The artists didn’t like the airconditioning but the glass studio was absolutely unbearable. The workshops moved into the sandpainting room in the Arts Centre and we were able to watch the artists as they painted next to us, an exciting mix of canvas and acrylic paints dotted over the drop sheets. Coldworking was carried out late in the day when the heat had passed and the night air was soon to be filled with the drone of the diamond saw and polishing units as Beth and Graham battled swarms of insects to finish the works.

The community once again embraced working with glass, with artists eager to create the coolamons, picking up where they left off and experimenting with powders and the ever popular dots. The project proved significant in that it involved a women’s object but both the men and women in the community including Tjumpo, Helicopter, Eubena, Susie, Lucy, Miriam Baadjo, Gracie Green, Lucy Gill and Trevor Mutji participated in creating the glass versions. It certainly was much easier to produce a large volume of work with three people and we supplied the artists with oval paper templates which were placed under sheets of glass, providing the outline for the coolamon shape. The table was filled with small containers of broken glass, frit, powder and rod which was adhered to sheets of clear glass. Graham worked closely with Helicopter to help him translate his sandhills and waterholes successfully into glass through the use of powders, a medium which he enjoyed immensely. Helicopter and his wife Lucy Yukenbarri were persuaded to work together with ‘Chopper’ being reprimanded by Lucy for creating his trademark ‘stripes’. He relented and made his section more pictorial. Beth and I began working with Eubena Nampitjin, one of Australia’s best regarded indigenous painters, supplying her with all her favourite colours and helping her glue them into position. She gradually began talking in language to us and often surprised us with a beautiful hug. Eubena is an incredibly warm and spiritual woman and it is one of the great joys of my life that I have had the privilege of working alongside her.

The finished 430 x 255mm (approx) panels were then fused with sheets of clear or coloured Bullseye glass, as in the initial workshop. However, the next firing involved these panels being placed over the drop through moulds so the glass could ‘slump’ to form the coolamon. Lastly, the diamond saw was used to cut the oval shaped coolamon from the slumped glass and the edges were polished with the hand held unit. The first slump was unsuccessful with major cracking in the pieces, forcing the firing cycle to be slowed down considerably. Eventually six successful coolamons were created, along with several smaller panels, (200 x 200mm) to conclude an ambitious experimental workshop. It is hoped that the creation of these unique glass coolamons will continue with the assistance of Monash University throughout the upcoming year.

The wet season started late and it began raining towards the end of our second week, the most beautiful smell of perfume soaked the parched earth and the roads began to flood. Our flight out of Balgo was cancelled due to storms and we decided to drive along the Tanami Track back to Alice Springs. After leaving at 3am, driving through extremely flooded sections of track and subsequently running out of petrol twice, catching a lift in a tanker, and visiting Yuendumu, drove our completely mud covered landcruiser back into Alice Springs and enjoyed the best beers we had ever tasted!

The artists of Wirrimanu are diverse, talented, generous and expressive. Their skill in embracing new mediums has been proven yet again in their ability to create strikingly beautiful glass. Their own explosive use of colour and form has been translated successfully from canvas to glass to provide a wonderful ongoing opportunity for established artists and members of the community alike to participate in this exciting new medium. It has been a great honour and an incredible experience to work with these true artists and be a part of the vision provided by Erica, Tim and Jo. Although the pieces created in the community were quite different to my body of work, the experiences with the artists enriched my appreciation of our indigenous culture and the challenge of producing numerous works under difficult conditions caused me to reflect on the luxury of my own facilities. Heartfelt thanks to Jacky Healy for the encouragement, John Hoogendoorn, George Aslanis, Bethany Wheeler and Graham Orridge for sharing the adventure and the Wirrimanu community and its truly inspirational Warlayirti Artists.