Emu and Barra 1981 reflects some of the stylistic hallmarks of Thanakupi’s spherical works from the early 1980s. Although the wrapping of the animal figures – including flying fox, emu, wallaby, crab and fish – demonstrates orbital movement, the scene is tightly packed and crowded. For this reason, the designs are not as well separated as they later became, and the symbolic meaning is less clear.

Thanakupi has long created works where sources of both animal and plant food appear together. The seaweed-like motif below the crab may symbolise plant food and can be found throughout her bush tucker-themed works. This sphere can be seen, then, as a visual mapping of animals, and perhaps other food sources, important in Thaynakwith culture.