He Kōrero Takiwā
he Takiwā Kōrero
Taking lead from Māori history ‘He Kōrero Takiwā, he Takiwā Kōrero’ is an art bridge that speaks to the site of Ōtākaro on differing levels, harking back to pre-colonial times by embodying the hīnaki form, yet, is a structure composed from post-colonial modern materials. With its implications of constraint and sustenance, conceptually encouraging the viewer to pause and consider the relationship between the natural, the spiritual and the human world. From a distance the bridge becomes the personification of a sleeping figure on the landscape, a taniwha perhaps? Both motile skeleton and tactile flesh. A counterpoint to the alluring external form is the visible mystery of the space-within-the-space, in concept a trap that lures the walker in with the promise of a different story, or (an)other experience. Entering the enclosing space within viewers will discover prompts for stories, and encouragements for reflection. The structure organically lends itself to nature and the handmade, as the Hīnaki form borrows its shape from the sinuous eel. The bridge is at once eel and trap, and the hooks that draw the user within are the bones that the thread hangs off.
Project made in partnership with Canterbury University
Design by Canterbury University
Design by Canterbury University
Render by Guido Medici
