One my proudest colabs to date. Jess in collaboration with matua Jacob and matua Jason, made a series of urban lightboxes for the upcoming Art Deco Festival out of Cleanstone.
We founded Critical. to turn plastic waste into taonga (treasure). Jess and Matua Jacob did just that. Made from the Forest Cleanstone, these beautifully carved sculptures are made from 100% recycled plastic fishing nets and soft plastics. Zero waste, near carbon neutral. 100% stunning.
In partnership with Napier City Council, Jess from Tūrama Productions is curating Napier's Art Deco Festival to celebrate Māori architecture in Napier's history. But this kaupapa is also a reminder of the incredible Māori stories that are often lost in Napier's history.
Napier had a severe Earthquake in 1931. Māori were the ones who dragged bodies out of destroyed buildings. Māori were the ones who cared for the community by putting up māra kai.
Soon after, whole lot of Māori carvers from Rotorua where brought down to Napier to rebuild the city. These craftsmen infused traditional carving techniques with new materials to innovate new methods like plaster board casting.
Not many people know that a lot of Māori architectural elements exist throughout Napier's buildings. For example the toi Māori architectural elements in the heritage ASB Building Building.
The creation of these beautiful carved lightboxes by Te Ara Hihiko is the coming together of Mātauranga Māori with digital technologies, the coming together of traditional methods with new material innovation ... a nod to the innovative spirit of our Māori craftsmen back in the 1930s.
And as visitors engage with these lightboxes, Jess hope you will touch it and remember our history!
Tūrama Productions is a kaupapa Māori production company, They do a lot theatre based work, events, music, with a kaupapa centred approach: people and whānau first.
Jess: "I'm passionate about portraying Māori architecture in new ways and because I love to play with light, this collaboration with Matua Jacob and Critical. was ideal!"
If your in Napier in October onwards, go checkout the festival e te whānau!