Qantas Launches Designer Amenity Kits Inspired By Australian Artists

Qantas has a long history of providing opportunities for Australian artists to connect with global audiences. Their latest initiative puts current Australian artists at the heart of their business passenger experience.

Starting May 1st, a new range of amenity kits will be rolled out across international flights with new designs being rolled out each month. With artworks named Fairy Bread, 7000 Ironbarks and Maaate, the initiative called ‘Qantas Curates’ has seen the airline work with professional Australian contemporary art curators to select artworks from 16 Australians specialising in a variety of different styles including pop culture, photography, fine art, abstract landscape, Indigenous art and textile design.

Qantas Group Executive Brand, Marketing & Corporate Affairs Olivia Wirth said the airline’s vision is to grow awareness of contemporary Australian art and give travellers a collectible piece to take with them. “As the national carrier, we’re pleased to support talented Aussies telling uniquely Australian stories through their artwork and share them with a global audience,” she said.

“Along with inflight pyjamas, we know amenity kits are an important part of the international Business class experience. Customers love the functionality of our kits and many use them after their flight as make-up bags, an evening clutch or to carry their mobile phones. So, the exposure is broad.”

The amenity kits include ASPAR products by Aurora Spa (hand cream, lip balm and face moisturiser), a wrap-around eye mask in the same artwork as the kit, Colgate toothpaste, toothbrush, earplugs and travel socks.

The collection will start with Bubblegum Dystopia by Jacob Leary on the kit for women and Liam Snootle’s No Queen Blues/Unwind features on the kit for men onboard 1 May 2017

The other artists and artworks include: Billie Justice Thomson – Fairy Bread; Bonnie and Neil – Gypsy Floral; Craig & Karl – Home; Fred Fowler – 7000 Ironbarks; Jon Campbell – Maaate; Kate Banazi – Adas’ Algorithm; Lucy Simpson – Dhina; Luke Shadbolt – North Avoca ECL 2016; Megan Weston – Iceland; Myra Yurtiwa Cooke (dec) – Lirrun; Nicole Warne – Hamilton Island 2014; Polly Pawuya Butler-Jackson – Mobile Phone Tower; Rachel Castle – I Love the people; Tom Blachford – Black Water

The Big Picture

Black Water by Tom Blachford. ‘Black Water’ captures a fleeting moment in time, taken from a helicopter over the bay at 1000 feet. Conflating the scale of the scene it is uncertain whether the ships are massive or tiny.

I love the people by Rachel Castle. If only in our lifetimes we could see all the places and meet all the people. Imagine that.

Mobile Phone Tower by Polly Pawuya Butler-Jackson. We just got the mobile phone tower. Everyone is talking all the time. I want to get a mobile phone but I will need my daughter Denise to show me how to use it. “Yuwa walykumunu telephonepa-lampatju yarlarringu” (hello, I’ve got a mobile phone).

Lirrun Tjukurrpa by Myra Yurtiwa Cooke (Dec). Myra Yurtiwa Cook was born at a special place called Kartjinguku, a creek situated near Warakurna. This paintng depicts a story from Myra’s mother’s country, Lirrun. A Snake Man came from the South of Pukarra. He had been trying to steal a girl to become his wife. She called all the Feather-foot men and they chased him away, back to Pukarra.

Iceland by Megan Weston. ‘Iceland’, like a lot of my work, is influenced by my interest in aerial photography. That perspective of our planet, and the details within rock formations, has always fascinated me. I found myself drawn to the way light travels through and how the eye receives this.

North Avoca ECL 2016 by Luke Shadbolt. Reflective of our individual sense of self, a wave is the present moment of the greater ocean, a concept which we struggle to connect with as humans living in the past and future whilst often disregarding the present.

Dhina by Lucy Simpson. The story of ‘Dhina’ (footprints / tracks) is based on connection to, movement within, and inherent knowledge of the country to which we belong. It maps story, journey and landscape, and is an expression of the beauty of our Yuwaalaraay lands.

No Queen Blues/Unwind by Liam Snootle. I use abstraction to present the viewer with an experience of something new, yet comfortingly recognisable.

Adas’ Algorithm by Kate Banazi. Named for Ada Lovelace, the mathematician, who is often considered the first computer programmer working in the mid-1800s.

Maaate by Jon Campbell. I think there’s something particular about the way Australians pronounce words. We have a habit of dragging the word out. My ‘Maaate’ design accentuates this idea by adding the extra A’s and engages the viewer directly as they say “Maaate”.

Bubblegum Dystopia by Jacob Leary. ‘Bubblegum Dystopia’ extends my interests into the nature of organisation. Focusing on the idea of non-linearity the picture space attempts to explore the layered complexities that define contemporary modes of experience.

Hamilton Island 2014 by Nicole Warne. A photo that makes me nostalgic for those humid nights, balmy skin and sunset swims with the scent of Australia’s summer in the air.

7000 Ironbarks by Fred Fowler. This painting uses symbols of native and invasive species set against a backdrop of urban and rural iconography to explore the relationship between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. The title is a reference to the German artist Joseph Beuys land art project 7000 Oaks.

Home by Craig & Karl. Being based in New York and London, this artwork is a celebration of our home from afar. We created a colourful pattern with each section of the artwork referencing a different part of the country, whether it’s the landscape or a nod to architectural, cultural or symbolic icons of Australia.

Gypsy Floral by Bonnie and Neil. ‘Gypsy Floral’ is an original hand painted artwork by Bonnie inspired by historical textiles from faraway places.

Fairy Bread by Billy Justice Thomson. The ‘Fairy Bread’ painting is a nod to the classic Australian party food from many of our childhoods.