Australian digital accessory designers and manufacturers Cygnett have released a series of iPhone and iPod covers featuring designs from world-famous and iconic artists.  The ICON Art Series was inspired by Cygnett’s passion for creativity, art and design.

World-renowned Australian Aboriginal artist Ronnie Tjampitjimpa was one of three artists chosen for the ICON Art Series accessories. A fully-initiated Pintupi man, Tjampitjinpa is considered an innovator and one of the grand masters of the Central and Western Desert Art movement. 

“Ronnie Tjampitjinpa ignored dots; most of his work is strongly graphic, linear and very bold. Many of his designs are based on the water dreaming design found on pearl shell pendants and the zigzags that encode lightning and thunder – the power to make rain,” comments Judith Ryan, Senior Curator Indigenous Art, National Gallery of Victoria (NGV).

The Ronnie Tjampitjinpa ICON series is based on two works; “Rain Making” based on the original artwork, “Rain Making At Malparingya”, depicts body paint designs associated with rain making ceremonies at the site of Malparingya, slightly south east of Wilkinkarra (Lake Mackay).

“Echidna Dreaming” based on the original artwork, “Echidna Dreaming At Tjungaringya”, depicts body paint designs associated with Tingari ceremonies relating to the Tjilkamata (Echidna) Dreaming at the claypan and rockhole site of Tjungaringya, south of Lake Mackay.

Internationally-renowned, Bronx-based professional muralists TATS CRU and Australian-born illustrator and artist Nathan Jurevicius, the creator of the Scarygirl graphic novel series, are the other two artists to have their work featured on Cygnett accessories.

To document the exciting collaboration between Cygnett and Ronnie Tjampitjimpa, Cygnett have filmed a series of short films – “Papunya Tula Stories” – the first of which features in interview with Ronnie on location at Kintore, 500 kms west of Alice Springs, Northern Territory.

See part one of the video series below