Foolscap Studio and Manapan have crafted a wooden table for Melbourne Airport, which references traditional First Nations ceremonial and battle shields.
The table, which is shortlisted in the workplace design category of Dezeen Awards 2020, was produced on Milingimbi Island by Manapan ? a furniture brand is owned and operated by the Indigenous Australian YoIngu people.
Foolscap Studio worked closely with Manapan's senior craftsman Josiah Baker and Milingimbi Island elder Keith Lapulung on the project.
Top: the Gulnura Table in the executive area of Melbourne Airport. Above: cross-hatched carvings decorate the top
The Gulnura Table's form is reflective of traditional shields used in battle and for ceremonies, which were often highly decorated and featured intricate carvings. It is named after the Gulnura, a lightning snake which is said to bring fresh water to Milingimbi Island every wet season.
"The representation of the serpent can be seen in the joinery of the tabletop, which references cultural meaning that is central to our First Nations collaborators," Foolscap Studio founding director Adèle Winteridge told Dezeen.
"Scaly, cross-hatched carvings ? meticulously chiselled and hand-painted around the table's perimeter ? reference natural and built lines found on an airport runway in Manapan's home on Milingimbi Island, while monolithic legs were hollowed out to house cable management, before being hand-chiselled and stained dark for dramatic contrast.&qu...