Bajirru! there you all are, hello! From the Yanyuwa language of Balarinji’s origin community Borroloola NT
Jinangu awara wabarrangu barra kalu-wingka marnijinju wabudala kari-nguthundawabarrangu jinangu Australia li-wulu marnaji barra liyi-Yanyuwawu awara li-Marranbala li-Arrwangala li-Gudanji jinangu awara Burrulula marnaji yamulhu
Our Country we belong to is Borroloola. Yanyuwa, Marra, Gudanji and Garrawa people.We welcome everyone to this land Australia.
Yanyuwa elder Samuel Evans Jamika
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. are respectfully advised this website contains references, artworks and images of people who have passed

Balarinji founders honoured with 2021 Australian Design Prize

(2018 Qantas-Balarinji Emily Kame Kngwarreye Dreamliner)

John Moriarty and Ros Moriarty began their design journey after the birth in Melbourne of their first son Tim Bundyan, creating turtle images that they screen-printed onto his bed linen to keep him connected with his Yanyuwa heritage. Naming their design enterprise Balarinji, after the skin name of their two sons, Tim and James Djawarralwarral, the studio was born from these simple beginnings.

“Our vision was to celebrate the heritage and identity of our three children – Tim, James and Julia Marrayelu. We began to realise over time that our family’s personal identity journey could resonate with Australia’s broader search for a unique belonging in the world,” commented Mr Moriarty.

Balarinji’s philosophy is deeply inspired by Mr Moriarty’s history. Born in the late 1930s to a Yanyuwa mother and Irish father in Borroloola, a remote community in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Northern Territory, John was taken from his home at the age of four as part of the Stolen Generations, a government strategy to assimilate paler Aboriginal children. The policy’s purpose was to eliminate cultural practice and language. It was not until 1968 at the age of 30, that John was able to return to Borroloola to reunite with his family, culture and Country.

Growing up in Tasmania, Ms Moriarty spent much of her childhood around the island’s mountains and lakes, and knew the calm and regeneration of time in pristine landscapes. As a young researcher in Central Australia, then on family visits back to Borroloola, she began to understand something of the deeper meaning of Country to Aboriginal people.

She has dedicated her professional life to working with Mr Moriarty in partnership, and with their teams, to grow and share their aspirations for Australia’s founding cultural identity.

Balarinji is recognised for its unparalleled contribution to building bridges of best practice participation between Aboriginal communities, businesses and the broader community.

Balarinji’s design projects have been awarded many honours. A UNESCO Achievement Award in June 2021, a 2020 Good Design Award for the Aboriginal artwork project for Burwood Brickworks Shopping Centre, a Silver in the 2020 Sydney Design Awards for an Aboriginal art installation in Redfern, a Gold in the 2019 Sydney Design Awards for the Balarinji-Qantas Emily Kame Kngwarreye Dreamliner, and a finalist in the 2019 Urban Developer Awards in the Excellence in Community Engagement category.

John Moriarty and Ros Moriarty are also dual inductees of the Design Institute of Australia Hall of Fame and the Australian Graphic Design Association Hall of Fame.

Read the news on the Good Design Australia website

Read a Q&A with Ros Moriarty about Balarinji’s journey