Amazon Celebrates Naidoc Week With Indigenous Artwork Delivered To Australians
5 July 2022: In celebration of NAIDOC Week, tens of thousands of Amazon customers will receive their orders in a specially designed Amazon box featuring a bespoke artwork created by Yorta Yorta artist Mandi Barton.
The artwork, titled Tales of Platypus (Berranga), has been adapted by Mandi from a large-scale mural she painted across a wall in Amazon’s Ravenhall, Melbourne fulfilment centre last year. Tales of Platypus (Berranga) will feature on select Amazon boxes between 03 – 17 July to mark NAIDOC Week.
With a career spanning over 20 years, Mandi’s passion is to create art that encourages a sense of belonging and a space for people to feel comfortable.
“My aim and my purpose is to create culturally safe spaces with art and design, and I’m thrilled Amazon has given me this opportunity to share my work and visual storytelling to such a big audience,” said Mandi.
“The special qualities of the platypus, which once inhabited the Koroit Creek next to the Ravenhall fulfilment centre, include independence, creativity, adaptability, and flexibility. It also signifies yapaneyput (unity) and connection, having many relationships, collaborating, and engaging with many different parties. The mural and artwork is my visual story of how I view Amazon’s essence and connection on this country.”
The special edition boxes have been created as part of Amazon Australia’s early steps to recognise, integrate, and celebrate Indigenous cultures through its Reconciliation Action Plan.
Kelly Godschlax, Procurement Manager at Amazon Australia, has led the team on this initiative and was inspired by Mandi’s mural in the Melbourne fulfilment centre. Kelly wanted to create a box that celebrated Australia’s rich First Nations history to inspire her fellow Australians.
“NAIDOC Week is an important opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on Earth. With our boxes being received by thousands of Australians every day, it sparked an idea about how we can convey this important message to our customers and employees, and celebrate First Nations culture together.
“My half-brother is a proud Indigenous Australian and through this initiative I hope to celebrate him and his family, while encouraging people across the country to acknowledge, learn and celebrate First Nations culture,” said Kelly.
Each box will include a QR code where customers are encouraged to scan and learn more about the meaning of the artwork and Kelly’s inspiration for the idea.
In acknowledgement of the history of Australia, and of all the nations of people that it encompasses, Amazon Australia is committed to a meaningful reconciliation for First Australians through the delivery of its first Reconciliation Action Plan. The vision is built upon Amazon’s existing culture of inclusivity and long-term commitment to diversity.
As an employer of more than 5,000 people in Australia, and with locations across the country, Amazon’s Reconciliation Action Plan sets forth a series of deliverables with the potential for impactful outcomes.
-ENDS-
Notes to editors
Media contact:
Jessica Makin, Operations PR Manager, Amazon Australia
E: jmakin@amazon.com M: +61 416 292 912
Maddy Berry, DEC PR
- m.berry@decpr.com.au M: +61 439 455 636
Artwork name, artist and text:
Art Name: Tales of Platypus (Berranga)
Artist Name: Mandi Barton
“The artwork on this box was commissioned for our Ravenhall Fulfillment Centre in Wurundjeri country. In the spirit of reconciliation Amazon acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples”
Contact amazon@decpr.com.au for further details:
Amazon Australia
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