Incollect Magazine - Issue 12

Incollect Magazine 21 with other designers and makers, especially Aboriginal Australians often marginalized in the design community. Three of Jansen’s objects are on display at Wexler Gallery in the New York Design Center. Among them is his prized “Manta Pilti | Dry Sand Cabinet,” completed in 2023 after years of collaboration with indigenous designer Tanya Singer, who comes from the Indulkana Aboriginal community. The story of this cabinet is the impact of climate change on remote Central Australia. It is getting hotter and drier in Indulkana, a place that was already hot and dry, and the ground has recently started to harden and crack apart in places. Singer and Jansen took imagery of the cracked, parched earth around Indulkana as inspiration for the cabinet. The Manta Pilti is a phrase that means “dry sand” in the Central Australian Aboriginal Pitjantjatjara language. “The process of collaborating cross- culturally, halfway across the country, was not easy for any of us,” Jansen says, “and that is why it took so long for us to bring this design to fruition. But I loved going to Indulkana, learning about their language, culture, and community.” The “Manta Pilti | Dry Sand Cabinet” is from an edition of 3. This edition is made of American hard maple wood, a natural sustainably harvested resource. “We research the woods we use thoroughly to be sure that they are sustainably managed,” he explains. “We always use local hardwoods where we can but environmentally this isn’t always the best option. Due to bushfire depletion of Australian forests, some imported woods turn out to be more sustainably managed resources than what we can obtain here. Furthermore, the carbon footprint of shipping is low compared to the impact that the Australian forestry industry has on the natural landscape.” The cabinet includes a life-size cast bronze flower resting on one of the inside shelves. It is a realistic depiction of the Parakeelya flower, a succulent that grows in Central Australia and is well known among the Aboriginal people because it retains and yields moisture, making it important for survival in the desert. At one time the hills were covered in this purple flower but because of the changing climate, it is becoming rare. “The Parakeelya flower was such an important part of the ecosystem in the desert for humans and animals, and its disappearance is one of the most tangible signifiers of the impact of climate change,” Jansen says. Jansen takes pride that all of his design objects are complicated and labor-intensive to produce. “Sometimes the Previous page: As a beloved symbol of Indigenous cultural identity and a poignant reminder of the impact of climate change, the Manta Pilti/Dry Sand Cabinet and Credenza include a life-size cast bronze sculpture of the Parakeelya flower. A succulent plant important to survival in the desert, it once covered the hills of Central Australia and is now increasingly rare. Photos: left © Tanya Singer, right © Fiona Susanto Below: The Manta Pilti/Dry Sand Credenza in American walnut, designed by Trent Jansen in collaboration with Tanya Singer. Edition of 3 + 2 AP, 2023. Also available in American hard maple and American cherry. The impact of climate change resulting in brushfire depletion of Australia’s forests makes sustainably harvested American hardwoods, surprisingly, the most ecologically responsible choice of material. Photo © Fiona Susanto