Aboriginal Australian pottery chart the turn of the seasons

The Hermannsburg Potters are a collective of Western Arrarnta artists from the Ntaria (or Hermannsburg) community in the remote centre of Australia. In this work, the Australian animator Nelson Armstrong adapts images painted on their pottery into lush moving visuals capturing life in this remote, beauteous landscape, where the seasons are split between Eturna (hot season) and Lhurrpa (cold season). These colourful, intricately patterned images are paired with immersive sound designs depicting heavy rains, people swimming in rivers, sea life swimming below fishing lines, birds nesting and squawking, lizards scraping red desert sand and more. The result is a rich and wondrous depiction of the landscape, born of the artists’ deep knowledge of and connection to the natural world.

Artists: Hermannsburg Potters

Animator: Nelson Armstrong

Website: Desart