| Kiwirrkurra is located in the remote Gibson Desert in Western Australia, a traditional homeland for the Pintubi people. Artists living in the community are part of a thriving Western Desert art movement and integral to the success of the Papunya Tula Artists cooperative.
Moulded from a worn and disused brick storeroom, the new Arts Centre at Kiwirrkurra provides space for artists to meet and paint, and for curators to prepare and catalogue works for sale through Papunya Tula's gallery in Alice Springs.
A brightly coloured blade wall follows the town's civic axis, and divides the veranda into smaller courtyard spaces, allowing shelter and access to the sun at different times of day and year.
The existing roof was replaced with a 'butterfly' form: raised and extended to mark the importance of art in the community's cultural and economic livelihood. Inside are painting areas for men and women, separated by a double-sided joinery unit for storage and paint preparation.
Internal plywood ceiling panels warmly wash a glare-free and even southern light across the painting areas below. The building's colours are drawn from those found in the artists' paintings, with a respectful nod towards the palette of the surrounding sand hill country.
NYINKA NYUNYU ART AND CULTURAL CENTRE,
TENNANT CREEK
The Nyinka Nyunyu Art and Cultural Centre is a cultural, interpretive and community centre for the Waramungu traditional owners of Tennant Creek. Tangentyere Design, in association with X Squared Design, was involved with the masterplanning, brief development and design for the $1.5m Nyinka Nyunyu Centre in close consultation with the traditional owners and with Julalikari Council Aboriginal Corporation. The aim of the project was to develop a design that provided visitors with a unique learning experience and was culturally appropriate and climatically responsive. Stage one of the project included a shop, cafe, landscaping and various interpretive elements. The final stage of the project included the Art Centre’s main gallery spaces and was completed in 2003. The building was largely constructed by Julalikari Workshops and local trainees, and used pressed mud bricks produced from local materials.
The Nyinka Nyunyu Art and Cultural Centre is a unique cultural and interpretive centre serving as a place for the Warumungu people and for tourists to gain an insight into the local history and culture of Aboriginal people in the Tennant Creek area. The project was awarded the 2004 RAIA Tracy Memorial Award, Public Buildings Award, Indigenous Community Architecture Award, and the Colourbond Steel Award.
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