I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands of the Gadigal, Bidjigal and Birra-Birragal Clans, who traditionally occupied the Sydney Coast where I live & work. I pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging.

Billy | Lulu | Tony is a new collaboration between Master Artists Billy & Lulu Cooley from Mutitjulu the community at the foot of Uluru in central Australia and Furniture Designer Tony Hurd of ALTONE.

Established in 1993, ALTONE is a specialist Australian furniture designer and manufacturer with a philosophy of total involvement in all elements of quality furniture design and production. As a Designer and Manufacturer, Tony has enjoyed continued success in his field based on a long-term partnership with Fanuli where his pieces are sold exclusively. Mid-way through 2019, Tony felt inspired to work on a project that would give him the opportunity to learn more about Australian Indigenous culture and potentially incorporate some First Nation’s art in some way into a new collection he wanted to design. Serendipitously through close contacts, Tony was introduced to Billy & Lulu Cooley, masters in the artisan practice of Punu (wood carving & hot-wire etching) in July last year when they happened to be in Sydney for the day, and the journey began.

In late September 2019, Tony travelled to Alice Springs and took a road trip to Uluru & into Mutitjulu, the community where Billy & Lulu live and work, and are Directors of Maruku Arts. It was a unique opportunity to immerse himself in the rich culture & tjurkurpa (stories from the beginning) of the Anangu people and see firsthand the Maruku warehouse filled with punu by many artists from the region. Billy & Lulu invited him to spend an afternoon at their bush camp where Lulu was painting a Walka Board, and Billy was hand carving a Kali (desert boomerang) whilst they talked about country, family, the techniques they employ when creating their art, and the land they live on & belong to.

When he returned home to Bondi Beach, Tony began the long process of designing a range that would incorporate punu elements hand-etched with hot wire by Billy & Lulu. Over a year later, and Billy | Lulu | Tony is ready. Partnering with artists in the centre of Australia during the COVID pandemic has not been without its challenges, but it has been a positive experience on both sides, and all involved are very proud to have the first collection available to the Australian market for sale at Fanuli. Combining the elements of contemporary furniture design synonymous with the ALTONE brand and the ancient practice of punu is a way to bring beautifully designed quality pieces into the consumer’s home. On a deeper level, this provides a richer understanding & knowledge of our First Nation Peoples to non-Indigenous Australians. Punu (the wood itself) is the purest form of a gift from the carver to the receiver. Punu is living wood from a living culture, a slow growing piece of an Anangu artist’s ancestral lands. Punu is painstakingly sought and willingly given, to enlighten the world to the presence of the Ngaanyatjarra, Pitjantjatjara, and Yankunytjara (NPY) peoples of the central and western desert.