Exhibitions
Events
On display
He Whai (String Games) Workshop with Briar O’Connor
Maureen Lander and John Fairclough Digital String Games II (installation view) 2000. Interactive digital installation. Courtesy of Te Tuhi, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland
Briar O'Connor
Family and Kids
Past event
Education Centre
$5 per person
Learn the ancient and compulsive pastime of he whai (string games) in connection with Maureen Lander Aho Marama Strings of Light. As you play, Briar will talk about the history of string games in Aotearoa and around the world.
Along with Libby Patterson, Briar O’Connor wrote He Whai: Old and New String Figures from Aotearoa New Zealand, published by Reed in 2002.
This workshop is suitable for ages 8+, and all participants will receive a string to use and take away.
Bookings essential.
Related
Exhibition
Maureen Lander Aho Marama Strings of Light
12 August 2023 – 14 July 2024
A magical UV light installation bringing together different art forms and histories.
Collection
Maureen Lander Wai o te Marama
Maureen Lander made 'Wai o te Maram'a for the major exhibition of Māori weaving that toured the United States and Aotearoa New Zealand in the mid 2000s, 'Toi Māori: The Eternal Thread – Te Aho Mutunga Kore'. Combining the natural fibres of harakeke and muka with nylon and fluorescent paint, Lander braided muka strands to form the triangular shape of a maro (apron), allowing the rolled leaf ends to hang like the pōkinikini (tags) found on early rāpaki (waist mats). Lander often looks to taonga in museum collections to learn from customary forms, rethinking how we might make these with the materials available to us today and reinforcing a culture of constant innovation. Recalling the genesis of 'Wai o te Marama', Lander said:
“During my years in Hokianga the sight of the full moon rising over the Wai o te Marama valley was a recurring vision, seen from the porch of my bach in Ōmāpere. The track from the floor of the valley up into the kauri forest was a favourite daytime walk of mine. Often when I paused for rest alongside the beautiful waterfall halfway up, I would imagine how the water might look lit by the moon, like its name.”
(Maureen Lander Aho Marama Strings of Light, 12 August 2023 – 14 July 2024)
Interview
The Maureen Lander Archive
After nearly forty years as a practicing artist, Maureen Lander (Ngāpuhi, Te Hikutu, Pākehā) is developing a digital archive of photographs and related materials documenting her career to date. This has been made possible by the return of her daughter Kerry to Aotearoa New Zealand after twenty- three years in Australia. Assisted by Heritage Studios staff and funding from Creative New Zealand, Kerry is working to archive and digitise everything, which will eventually be available to the public. Maureen and Kerry share thoughts about the process so far.