Our artwork
Our stunning artwork has been created by Elizabeth Close, an Anangu woman from the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara language groups. Elizabeth’s family links are to the communities of Pukutja and Amata in the APY Lands.
The background palettes speak to landscape and country - informed by our desire to embed place-based reconciliation within our organisation. This is designed to acknowledge the sovereignty of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and traditional owners of the lands on which they operate — and identify their unique country, language and culture.
“I often use palette as a tool to speak to country and landscape,” Elizabeth says.
“BAE Systems’ three arms speak to air, land, and sea; a concept that is naturally informed by landscape, thus the air, land and sea is enmeshed within each concept, just as country is enmeshed within the personhood of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”
Meanwhile, Elizabeth has designed the monochromatic sections to reflect the concept of growth with the curved lines representing inspiration the growth rings of old growth trees - showing the trees journey through periods of abundance and drought. The straight lines represent these enduring trees standing tall, having witnessed many lifetimes and changes in its years.
“The section of dot-work represents the people at BAE Systems, working together to acknowledge shared histories, honour truth-telling and move forward with a shared vision,” Elizabeth says.