Indigenous & decals design

vector design | layout & design | animation

Background

Australia's Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) want a design that speaks to...

IMOS operates a wide range of observing equipment throughout Australia’s vast and valuable coastal and open ocean estate. IMOS honours First Nations people as Australia’s first marine scientists and carers of Country. As IMOS evolves and grows, there's an increasing need to collaborate with First Nations community to ensure we effectively engage with, and deliver to, all those interested in marine observations. We were asked to create an artwork which can be used across a range of platforms to demonstrate their commitment to this consultation and collaboration.

The Design

The design entitled 'Around the Campfire' symbolises sharing knowledge and emphasises the importance of passing down knowledge to next generation.

The dark figures represent people, that are the knowledge holders, leaders and teachers. They pass on the knowledge to the lighter figures/next generation. The way they are passing is through storytelling, dancing, painting and demonstrating. The campfire represented by the circles in the middle: This is usually one the places where stories/knowledge are passed down. The Elders/teachers tell the stories that were given to them and they also share they're own personal experiences.

The Marine animals are icons for the oceans but are also studied in marine biology, they are keystone species and they are also culturally significant to coastal First Nation people. The patterns within the marine animals represent water and the currents that are a part of their journey. The fish in the waterways are representing that everything is connected. As the fish swim with the current, they are also passing through vital ecosystems and if one is damaged the rest will be affected. This is the data that Traditional Knowledge holds, and the waterways are also the classrooms on which these lessons are taught in action.

Indigenous and Design Creative Agency

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info@redochrerepublic.com.au +61 0499146547
Level 2
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Cairns QLD 4870 Australia
We acknowldege the Traditional Custodians of the land and waters on which we create, live and learn and our peoples ongoing connection and custodianship of Country, sovereignty never ceded. We pay respect to our Ancestors and our Elders past and present and acknowledge the young people who continue the bloodlines of our people and of our rich diverse cultures.
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Meriam (Erub)

Sheree Jacobs

Sheree is a Torres Strait Islander woman, born in Cairns, Far North Queensland with family and ancestral links to Erub Island in the Torres Strait. Sheree has worked for a number of regional and international not-for-profit organisations delivering programs to support social impact and outcomes.

Sheree possesses Master in Communications, from Griffith University. Her roles in Design, Marketing and Communications encompasses supporting First Nations storytelling and digital and print works for government and non-government organisations.

“Art and design can tell stories in ways that can be understood universally. Sometimes words are not enough. Art and design is something that can reach and move people, communicate ideas and thoughts in new ways.

Being a mentor at IndigeDesignLabs is important because it's supporting the next generation of digital designers and creative professionals. Compared with my everyday work, IndigeDesign Labs allows me to collaborate and share ideas with our program’s mentors and young people. I hope to mentor young people in both design and communications.”

Yirrganydji

Tarquin Singleton

Tarquin is an Aboriginal creative who joined the project in 2021. In addition to illustration and design, Tarquin has worked on Country as a Yirrganydji ranger and in cultural engagement for many years. His design work is a combination of traditional Aboriginal art and modern and western art. Tarquin draws his inspiration for his designs from Bulmba (Country), Kulbul (Sea country) and Bulurru (Lore, Creator, Culture).

“Yirrganydji country is located from Cairns to Port Douglas making us rainforest and saltwater people. Growing up in two world heritage areas - the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics Rainforest is something to be proud of and has heavily influenced my work. My designs are heavily influenced by my heritage and combine the elements from traditional Indigenous art with modern art.

What is good about IndigeDesignLabs is that we can work in a studio environment to bounce ideas off each other. Working as a mentor is good because it keeps me learning new skills and being able to teach those skills is a rewarding experience.”

Kanolu and Gungarri

Leigh Harris

Leigh is a Cairns based Aboriginal business owner with traditional connections to the Kanolu people of Central Queensland and Gungarri people of South East Queensland who is also proud of his Italian and Welsh heritage

As a well know diverse Aboriginal creative and digital designer with over 25 years in the industry he has worked on some of the countries major design and creative projects. As a designer, active in the design and digital creatives space for over 25 years he owns and manages ingeous studios a multidisciplinary design studio based in Cairns. Trained as a Public Relation officer with Aboriginal Hostels Limited in Canberra in the late 1980’s he moved to Cairns in 1993 to work with Cape York Land Council as as Communications Officer working throughout Cape York and the Torres Straits for 11 years prior to the establishment of ingeous studios.

As a well established business ingeous studios, a creative design and digital agency and he has worked to ensure the integrity of what he does as an Indigenous business owner and creative and in 2019 in partnership with NorthSite Contemporary Arts established IndigeDesignLabs to share his wealth of knowledge and inspire young people to get into the digital design and creative design industries.

Working remotely for clients across Australia and internationally, Leigh has successfully maintained ingeous studios as a leading creative digital production agency that is a hybrid agency that works across creative productions and digital technologies.

We acknowldege the Traditional Custodians of the land and waters on which we create, live and learn and our peoples ongoing connection and custodianship of Country, soverseignty never ceded.

We pay respect to our Ancestors and our Elders past and present and acknowledge the young people who continue the boodlines of our people and of our rich diverse cultures.