Mana Matui
2023
4th Year
Mana Matiu was an exhibition project where principles of material ecologies and transition design were applied to create a work that communicated the values of place-based and biomaterial design to a wider audience, framed within the context of Te Ao Māori. The team consisted of Mia Bohan, Samuel Dunstall, Tayla Hartemink, and myself.
Learning from Place
We started our process by visiting Matui Island and spent the day simply observing.
Matiu Island, the daughter
of kupe, at the heart of Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
Matiu holds the echos of a colonial past that left deep scars. In recent years it has undergone an ecological restoration led by Te Atiawa and the Department of Conservation. The restoration of vegetation and removal of invasive pests has allowed Tuatara, Kākāriki, and kororā to return. It is now seen as the jewle of Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
The diversity of life on the island was not mirrored below the surface.
Overfished snapper let the kina roam free,
Grazing down kelp forests deep in the sea,
Now where life once flourished in waters so clear,
Just barren rock remains, year after year.
Exhibition
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