Posts Tagged ‘Fayne Robinson’

Mana whenua rising – Tui, tuia…

Pūrākau and whakapapa. embedded in the landscape, brought to life once more with transmission through whakairo and mahi toi in ways to fit our modern context. The large-scale artworks standing sentinel along the coastline from from Ōaro to Matariki/Clarence serve as a clear reminder of the history, presence and permanency of mana whenua.

Genomes run deep in whakapapa

Genomics is the study of genomes. A genome is the complete set of DNA of any living thing. Each genome has a history. It has parents, grandparents, and it potentially descends from a long line of chiefs. Like whakapapa, environment shapes the genome. Its surroundings cause adaptation and evolution.

Levi Collier-Robinson (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō, Ngāti Porou and Te Whānau a Apanui) is using genomics to help understand the kōwaro, one of our endangered taonga species.

The Right Stone

Mauri Tau Mauri Ora is the 270 kilogram pounamu kōhatu that sits on a Carrara marble plinth at the entrance to Oi Manawa, the Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial. Gifted by Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio, it marks a place for those affected by the Christchurch earthquakes to reflect and remember the people and places they have lost. It signposts a memorial to whenua, whānau, and memories.
For carver Fayne Robinson (Ngāi Tahu – Ngāti Māhaki, Ngāti Waewae; Ngāti Apa ki te Ra To – Puahaterangi), it is also a metaphor of sorts for the before and after of Christchurch city. Its rough crust, he says, resembles rubble; and the “little windows of potential”, showing in places, reflect where we are heading with the city rebuild.

Toi Iho
Ngā Ringa Toi o Tahu

Ngā Ringa Toi o Tahu not only celebrates the work of Ngāi Tahu artists and looks at what a Ngāi Tahu art aesthetic is – it also gives recognition to people for the work they’re doing on the ground to encapsulate the sense of what it is to be Ngāi Tahu in a solid form for future generations to look back on.

Toi Iho
Bringing soul to the rebuild

In the wake of the 2011 earthquake, mana whenua Ngāi Tūāhuriri realised that one way to bring meaning to the destruction in central Christchurch was to get involved in the recovery process, and ensure that Ngāi Tūāhuriri/Ngāi Tahu identity is visible in the city.

Master Carvers
redefine the faces of Ngāi Tahu

With the revival of Ngāi Tahu language and culture and the reconstruction of whare tipuna throughout the motu in recent years, these craftsmen have been given artistic license to express themselves through a combination of historical research and contemporary design.
As West Coast master carver Fayne Robinson explains it, “Today’s contemporary is tomorrow’s tradition.”