Partnerships for Infrastructure

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)

About

The Partnerships for Infrastructure (P4I) initiative is a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade infrastructure program for Southeast Asia. P4I collaborates with Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam, and ASEAN partners to manage and deliver new infrastructure worth over A$50 billion annually. 

P4I is Australia’s long-term commitment to powering Southeast Asia’s future growth through quality infrastructure partnerships across transport, energy, telecommunications, and public investment management.

Saltwater People were engaged to deliver a compelling new identity that celebrates our shared national identity and pre-colonial trade history.

CLIENT
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)
ARTIST

D. Yunupiŋu

WORK
phone device
THE ARTIST

D. Yunupiŋu (Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre)

D. Yunupiŋu is part of an actively producing artistic family and is one of the last surviving “seven sisters” who were all daughters of Mungurrawuy Yunupiŋu. D. Yunupiŋu’s work focuses on the tradelines between Northern Australia and Indonesia. D. Yunupiŋu’s father Mungurrawuy was familiar with Makassan culture and drew a crayon representation of Makassar City for the anthropologist Ronald Berndt in 1947. He worked with European and Japanese trepangers who came to fill the void caused by the forced end of the Makassan visits. Until the turn of the last century the annual visitations of the Makassanese to the Top End shores of Australia were a lynchpin of the Yolŋu economy and society. Many Gumatj places are connected to the trade including Matamata, Bawaka, Gunyunara,Galupa and Dhanaya.
THE ARTWORK

Galiku

Galiku is the material traded between Yolŋu and Makassans- a sarong, a flag, a sail. It ripples with the wind, and if a cyclone damages it, it reveals how it is made with thousands of interwoven strands, like the relationships between people that make a community. The material is now used for dancing. Yirritja people, men, women,and children, wear it during Garma and other times for funerals, or the kids dancing at the school. It’s special.

Artwork story and bio courtesy of the Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre.

Galiku by D. Yunupinu
Artwork_Edited

Approach

Saltwater People and P4I sought a compelling brand identity that highlights the significant pre-colonial trade routes between northern Australia and Southeast Asia. We reached out to our friends at Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre, an incredible community-controlled art centre with a significant international presence, situated in the beautiful coastal community of Yirrkala, Northeast Arnhem Land. 

Together, we collaborated with D. Yunupingu to create a significant artwork that tells the story of the ancient trade routes between the Yolŋu people and the Makassan traders. 

The artwork and visual identity are used across P4I’s communication channels and merchandise, reinforcing DFAT’s commitment to inclusive and cross-cultural engagement in the ASEAN region. The final design serves as a bridge between cultures, acting as a poignant reminder of the remarkable history of business, trade, and relationships that have long existed.

IMPACT PRIORITIES

IMPACT PARTNERS