The IDAIA x Babbarra Women's Center collaboration is a collection of limited-edition home decor items and textile accessories, created using the beautiful fabrics of women artists from the Aboriginal community of Maningrida, in Arnhem Land, just north of Australia.
All the pieces in the collection have been designed and manufactured by a team of Parisian designers and craftsmen, using complementary materials made in France and most often from recycled materials, in order to highlight the fabrics with beautiful, ethical and eco-responsible objects.
The collection includes art cushions, lighting, bags, clutches, as well as upholstered furniture.
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The Bábbarra Aboriginal Art Center
Located in Maningrida, the Bábbarra Women's Center is a social enterprise run by women for women, which enables indigenous women in the region to develop healthy and sustainable livelihoods, including through their workshop for the production of designed and printed fabrics by hand. Bábbarra is one of the few indigenous textile arts centers in Australia to design, print and sew products on site, in the community. Most of the artists in Bábbarra specialize in handcrafted linocuts or screen printing on fabric.
Each piece is unique with different tile and color combinations. Each design is inspired by the life of their traditional homelands, the flora and fauna found there, as well as the ancestral stories, or djang/wangarr.
True showcases of culture, Babbarra's fabrics are recognized for their striking patterns and shimmering colors.
History of the collection
The idea for the collection was born during the exhibition Ngaldjorlhbo | Mother of Everything | Mother of All Creation organized by IDAIA in Paris in June-September 2018.
Dedicated to the art of women artists from the Aboriginal community of Maningrida, in Western Arnhem Land (Australia), 'Ngaldjorlhbo' presented the multidisciplinary creations of these artists for the very first time in France, from their traditional paintings and sculptures to their prints and hand-printed fabrics.
The collection of decorations and textile accessories allows us to go even further to support and share the incredible work of these women.
The launch of the collection took place in Paris to coincide with the artists' exhibition at the Australian Embassy in France and the trip of a small number of them to Paris for the occasion. We therefore had the joy and honor of presenting the Babbarra collection in the company of these artists, on Friday October 4 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., as part of the launch exhibition from October 4 to 9, 2019 Pop Up IDAIA X BABBARRA in Paris .
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Parisian designers
To create the collection, IDAIA called on Parisian designers who designed and manufactured the different pieces in the collection:
Victor Gueffier, designer and manufacturer of textile accessories
Emilie Billaud, designer and upholsterer
Aude Fisch, creator and designer of accessories
The designers have created decorative objects from Babbarra fabrics whose patterns embody an ancestral and traditional art, but which are far from the idea of the so-called “dots” technique that many people associate with Aboriginal art. Flowers, animals, clouds, the art of this region is largely inspired by nature.
