T-Shirt design celebrating cultural burning.

Background

Magpie Goose is an Aboriginal owned and led fashion business that creates unique and wearable garments designed to make a statement while generating economic opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through creative industries. Tristan was invited to design a t-shirt drawing on his cover design for Victor Steffensen’s book ‘Fire Country’ as part of a 2024 NAIDOC week collaboration between Magpie Goose and Firesticks.

Opportunity for Futures

Magpie Goose creates new economic opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through artwork licensing, transforming artists’ original work into textiles designs. Each artists’ designs tell unique stories of people, place and culture, sharing diverse and positive perspectives through bold prints. The garments enable the broader community to learn about, connect with and celebrate Aboriginal culture and Country. The pieces can be used as conversation starters as a way to engage others, too.

Approach

Tristan developed the original version of this artwork in conversation with Victor Steffenson for the front cover of Victor’s book Fire Country. The illustration draws together a number of messages inside the book. It depicts an outstretched Elders hand offering to Australia their wisdom held in a firestick, should the nation care to listen; a handful of half dry long grass and bark wrapped up, not too loose, not too tight, cool at the base and warm at the top. The symmetry of the artwork is a reminder that Indigenous Knowledge is contemporary and sophisticated. In this version of the artwork the colours are a celebration of cool burning, the orange a visual reminder of fire and the blue emphasising the importance of the fire staying cool.