In the Western Arrernte language this project is called “Inti Ljapa Ljapa Irapakalam.” In English it means "butterfly going round and round." The caterpillar and butterfly are iconic to the Arrernte tradition.

"Inti Ljapa Ljapa Irapakalam" is a collaborative project between Ngurratjuta Iltja Ntjarra / Many Hands Art Centre, The Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education and RAFT Artspace.

To celebrate the era of Albert Namatjira (1950's) we have created two unique limited edition fashion garments being circle skirts and scarfs.


This is the first time that our designs will be printed onto fabric. With this project our aim is to create landscapes of our country in the traditional watercolour style and exhibit them as unique three dimensional wearable arts pieces. We will exhibit these collector items at RAFT artspace in Alice Springs. Our exhibition will take place from May 15 to June 6th. 

We were also invited to exhibit a selection of these garments at the "We are in Wonder LAND" exhibition at the National Institute for Experimental Art in Sydney from May 14 to August 15 (Exhibition curated by Desart and NIEA, UNSW Art & Design.)

Gloria Pannka talking about her culture and tradition.

Our community is thrilled to produce a body of work representing our country and referencing the beginning of the Hermannsburg School of art movement.

Mervyn Rubuntja working on a circular painting for the project.

To make this fantastic project happen we need your help!

When you donate funds for this project we’ll give you a tax break for donations greater than a $50. We will provide you with a tax deductible receipt in return for your donation. You can chose to invest your tax money locally by investing in us and helping us make this new project happen.

Ngurratjuta Iltja Ntjarra's artists talk about the "Inti Ljapa Ljapa Irapakalam" project during Desert Mob 2014 - watch 09:55 min.

Many thanks to producer David Nixon and watercolourist Mervyn Rubuntja for contributing their time, expertise and passion to producing the main video for this campaign.

The money raised will be used for production costs. We are raising $7000. We are raising funds to take supreme quality pictures of the designs made by the artists ($500), to hire a designer that will edit the images and design the items ($1000), to purchase silk fabrics and get the fabrics sewn and transformed into beautiful wearable arts ($4500), and to pay the generous individuals that helped us produce two videos for this project and prepare an installation for the exhibition ($1000).

All profits from this project will benefit the Hermannsburg School of art to continue sharing knowledge and stories with family and friends through their prosperous art centre. If we get enough money for this project we will be able to exhibit our finished paintings and fabric designs in an exclusive exhibition in Alice Springs and beyond!

The biggest obstacle to the project is to obtain high quality images that will translate well on the fabric. Our friends from the College of Fine Arts in Sydney are going to help us with this. We are also exploring options for framing the actual works. We do have a professional framer in Alice Springs that has already suggested some creative solutions for framing round paintings. Finally, we work with numerous partners, it is challenging to get everyone to agree... We are meeting regularly and are making important decisions together.