Australian Aboriginal Fabric Lampshade: Mud Ripples

This lampshade is handmade from hand-printed Australian Aboriginal fabric from Babbarra Womens Centre based in Maningrida, Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. The fabric is pink and white. Designer: Elizabeth Kandabuma was born near Bulgay on Yirritjinga country. She has designed at Bbbarra from the early 1990s, and participated in many exhibitions throughout her life, including Tandanya in Adelaide, ANU in Canberra and multiple Darwin Aboriginal Art Fairs. Her work was also featured in the Pandanus Mantra hotel commission. This design depicts the patterns of the freshwater mud ripples, which emerge after strong monsoonal wet seasons on the Djinkarr and Nangak flood plains, south of Maningrida in Arnhem Land. These ripples form on the earth's surface in delicate repetitive and shifting patterns. The mud ripples move, crack, disappear and re-emerge in response to the changing wind, rains and new sun. The mud ripples depicted in this design are on Elizabeth's homeland.