Title: Pāua Nui
Artist: Hinauri Mead
Iwi: Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Awa
Materials: Metal wire, Pāua, recycled drink bottles embellished with fairy lights to give light to space
Description: Known as a ‘pākē’ or ‘kahu’
This contemporary garment is a decorative sculpture. The use of reusable and recycled materials is responsive to the impact of climate change in our waterways.
The use of Pāua, Abalone, is symbolic at this time of Matariki. Waitā and Waipunarangi, two of Matariki’s daughters, spend one month embellishing their tupuna kuia, Papatūānuku, before rising in the East and traveling the skies once again.
Waitā is the star connected to the many kinds of food Māori gather from Tangaroa and Hinemoana, the sea. Waipunarangi is connected to rain. Waipunarangi accompanies her grandmother to the waters – the oceans, lakes, rivers, streams and creeks where she prepares the children of Tangaroa, god of the sea, to feed the people.
This artwork speaks volumes to the unsustainability of single use plastic and the pollution that ensues for our awa, moana and all of the living creatures within.
Dimensions: 400 X 390 X 400 mm
Brand
Hinauri Mead

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