MANAPAN FURNITURE
Manapan pieces have a universal, timeless appeal lending themselves to stylistic periods from high end to beach shack.
This is because the methods and materials derive from a deep well of making from within Indigenous and non-Indigenous cultures.
The pieces epitomise William Morris’s ethos in the late 19th century,
Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.
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The Manapan custom made furniture collection features timber furniture pieces…
Keith Lapulung: …it’s down here in the heart of Milingimbi…
Each Piece Brings The
Milingimbi Story Along With It
To create our designer furniture Australian designers work closely with the indigenous community who build it.
…and we are all proud of it.
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ART BENCH
Jon Mikilic’s art bench beautifully combines the traditions of the Milingimbi community with contemporary design.
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Split into two pieces, the timber forms the ‘thread’ that joins the five traditional spears, produced be the local elders, to the bench’s four square shaped legs.
The size of the four legs, slender in form, responds to the trunks of the trees from which they came.
The Art Bench can seat one person if necessary
Assuming a quality architectural context, the Art Bench can work in many sitations such as an entry or hallway.
MAISON HAND Bizolon Apartment, Lyon; Photographer: Felix Forest
Each Art Bench is unique. The spears are handmade and carry the colours of traditional hunting – no art bench will be the same.
As an object of art, it readily doubles as a pew on which to store a unique and personal collection of books and objects with framed works placed above if desired.
The Art bench is ideal inside the front door of your home. There it provides an introduction to your values as a connoisseur of both art and culture.
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Yolngu – The People of Eastern Arnhem Land
Manapan is a business owned and operated by Yolngu, the indigenous people who have lived in Arnhem Land for over 50,000 years.
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LINEAR SIDEBOARD
One of the starting points for Ashleigh’s Linear Sideboard was his appreciation for the work of Danish designer Kaare Klint. Designing solid timber furniture in the late 1930s Klint was strongly influenced by the Bauhaus movement.
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The Linear Sideboard lends itself to sophisticated spaces similar to that of House Frances above.
I wanted to design furniture that would also give pleasure not only to clients but, as importantly, to its makers, something that would allow their skills to be showcased.
So when Ashleigh [Parker] discovered the Darwin hardwood…he saw an opportunity to create a ‘solid’ furniture piece, one that could appeal to a high-end market and that would have longevity.
The beauty of visual harmony with mid-century nuances in this room by PROFILE + PRINCIPLE, Eastland, Nashville is undeniable.
Reflecting on the Danish connection, the Linear Sideboard will project authoritatively within mid-century & contemporary interiors.
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FIRE SIDEBOARD
Alexsandra Pontonio’s timber sideboard makes an elegant addition to any living room.
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Technical finesse and immaculate detailing project the Fire sideboard into the realm of fine art object.
Almost black in colour, the sideboard features two beautifully crafted roller-style doors.
The edge of each ridge on the tambour-style doors has been left unstained to highlight the form of each door panel.
Acknowledging preeminent architecture and interiors the Fire will inject art, culture and definition into any space.
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THE PEARL COLLECTION
The Pearl Collection by Josh Carmody blends the eternal shapes,
forms and materials found throughout Indigenous
Australian culture and craft, with the timeless
typologies of mid-century Danish furniture.
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MAISON HAND, LYON
French design team Maison Hand’s interiors embody an appreciation of craftsmanship, history and culture, and as a result their designs remain timeless.
Organic oval shapes featured in the chair backrest and seat, as well as the table top are reminiscent of the Wanda and the Coolamon.
Pearl shell embellishments reference the use of the pearl shell in adornments as well as the fact these and other shells were traded with the Makassan people (modern day Indonesians).
MAGDALENA KECK , NEW YORK
Equivalently, a focus on quality combined with Keck’s unique style of intuitive yet simple eclecticism mean Manapan’s Pearl collection would sit seamlessly within spaces such as this.
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MANAPAN IN MILAN
East Arnhem Land business Manapan Furniture is set to showcase in Milan, Italy this week [April 2019] at the internationally renowned Salone del Mobile. Milano Furniture Fair. The week long exhibition attracts more than half a million designers and architect enthusiasts from around the world and uses 10 MCG sized football fields to house the major event.
The Fire Sideboard sitting confidently and proudly within the Salone del Mobile, Milan: the driving international centre of excellence in fashion and design.
Manapan Furniture Lead Craftsman Josiah Baker has headed to Europe for the first time
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CROCODILE LAMP & FOSSIL COFFEE TABLE
The ‘historic setting’ of Jessica Helgerson’s Estacada House as well as the nuanced rusticism of Nune’s Atlantic Loft provide consummate examples of interior design trends in 2019. Interiors reflective of these values provide ideal backdrops to Manapan’s Crocodile Lamp + the Fossil Coffee table. This is due to the heady mix of art and eclecticism on one hand and the rich sense of design history and architectonics on the other.
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CROCADILE LAMP
NUNE, NEW YORK
Made from Darwin Stringybark, the timber has been fashioned to appear skin-like, with all the protrusions and troughs found on a crocodile.
Suzie Stanford’s Crocodile Lamps, one designed as a table lamp, the other one for the floor, evoke the skin of the crocodiles in the region.
FOSSIL COFFEE TABLE
Designed by Liz Doube the Fossil Coffee Table features a stone top. Round in form, like the sun, this stone top table is complemented by two boomerang shaped legs made in Tiwi.
Other inspiration for the Fossil Coffee Table came from the Indigenous Australian flag, with the graphic of the sun being a pivotal motif.
NEXT WEEK
Indigenous arts & international contexts – Part 2
BÁBBARRA WOMEN’S CENTRE
Women without passports: the artists tackling desert, rivers and red tape to get to Paris
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By showcasing this Northern Territory Indigenous enterprise within international contexts (both via Manapan’s efforts and intuitively), I hope to foreground the Yolngu culture, business and enterprising spirit to many more people. Moreover, this venture and collective dovetails with the impetus of liberal eclectic in every sense.
A personal motivation is to showcase and promote Australia to the world.
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