Pūtahitanga and Awakening the Taniwha
Pūtahitanga
Pūtahitanga, collectively made by 60 artists around the country, wraped the Te Ngākau Civic Square Buildings
Te Whanganui-a-Tara, in 2022-2023.
Shared Lines: Pūtahitanga in Te Ngākau Civic Square, images and weaving from Awakening the Taniwha - Maker Space at 106 Courtenay Place
Pūtahitanaga installed in Te Ngakau Civic Square
A 72-metre banner was installed in Te Ngākau Civic Square and could be seen any hour of the day - flowing long like an awa across the outside of vacant civic buildings - the work of 60 artists from around the nation was made in response to the isolation experienced during Covid lockdown. This work was first shown in Cathedral Square Christchurch.
Pūtahitanga (a word that can be translated to mean a joining place) draws on the surrealist tradition of ‘exquisite corpse’ where each artist contributes an element as part of a collaborative whole.
Awakening the Taniwha - Workshop and Maker-space - 106 Courtenay Place
Awakening the Taniwha provided the opportunity for the public to respond to Pūtahitanga and Covid-19 during the heated madates implemented by governement in 2022. In an inner-city vacant space master carver Natanahira Pona, weaver Frank Topia and artists Ngaroma Riley and Linda Lee provided a variety of ways for people of all ages to share their own lines, to understand taniwha, why tupuna held them in such high esteem, and how we can maintain relationships with them today.
Taniwha are supernatural creatures who inhabit rivers, lakes, caves and the sea - some terrifying, others protective. Taniwha are our ancient guide to resource management and perhaps a new way to navigate our understanding of the Covid pandemic.
The space will also provide a reading and conversational/writing space for sharing perspectives while an exhibition will include viewings of the 60 Pūtahitanga artists' original artworks.
This project also highlights the rich history of Te Whanganui-a-Tara’s own taniwha, Ngake and Whātaitai, and our connection with the natural world.
Bookings were made available for whānau, friends and households so that we could operate during a time where Covid was spreading rampantly and 'antivaxers' were not permitted in public venues.
We had "DIY click and collect" options available for those isolating in their bubbles. If you are still interested in this resource, email us.
Pūtahitanga at Cathedral Square 2020. Image Credits: Janneth Gil
Background:
Pūtahitanga was first installed in the new Spark Building, 2 Cathedral Square, Christchurch from October 2020 until April 2021.
The digital version of Pūtahitanga can also be accessed online; sharedlinesputahitanga.co.nz which toured nationwide on digital billboards from September 28 to the end of October.
Read Mark Amery's essay A Shared Body of Water: Pūtahitanga.
This has been reinstalled in Te Whanganui-ā-Tara, Wellington over summer alongside Taniwha based workshops.
SLC would like to thank the following for their support:
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