Hautāmiro is an installation by Mataaho Collective, which is led by the ancestral narratives of Tokohurunuku, Tokohururangi, Tokohurumawake and Tokohuruatea, the four winds, or the pillars of the sky. The four were children of Huruteaarangi, an atua of the winds who sent her offspring to the edges of the sky to stand as pou that separated Ranginui and Papatuanuku. Inspired by the dynamic visual language of hukahuka whakarākei, the adornments of customary kākahu, Hautāmiro weaves together materials and techniques in an installation that celebrates adaptation, experimentation and mātauranga Māori across generations.

Pōkinikini, a type of hukahuka (fringe or tassel on a korowai) made from dried harakeke, and kārure, a traditional two-stranded muka cord, are clasped by plastic insulator claws most commonly found in electric fencing.  Ngore and paheke, which are both decorative woollen elements found on kākahu māori, are represented by wool-wrapped fencing staples. Each material has associations with clothing and textiles, from the production of garments to the labour of growing and preparing raw materials.  The collective overlaps processes and materials to create a common space for audiences encountering Hautāmiro and the four winds that are bound together within its different elements.

23m x 7m

Wool, harakeke, muka, plastic insulators, steel fencing staples.

Commissioned by Dunedin Public Art Gallery through their Visiting Artist Program, supported by Creative New Zealand.

Curated by Lucy Hammonds.