Archived: Tūrama

From the karanga of Hape welcoming early waka voyagers, to the open invitation from Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei to William Hobson to establish the settlement of Auckland in 1840, to becoming the beating heart of contemporary Tāmaki Makaurau, the Wai Horotiu valley has always been a place renowned for the extension of manaakitanga, welcome and hospitality to visitors, to guests and to ourselves.

Ancient citadels standing above, the bountiful river flowing along the valley floor to meet Te Waitematā, abundant ngahere teeming with life and song, generations of footprints left by Mana Whenua over millenia, the enduring presence of kaitiaki Horotiu; all part of a native and natural landscape now lost beneath the modern city centre’s urban form, removed from our sight.

But not from our memories. Or our future.

Tūrama is an expression of the power, mana and mauri of place and space, of what has been lost in the creation of the colonised urban form of Auckland.

A progression of freestanding light installations leads viewers from the original shoreline to the town hall. Existing mahi toi from Māori arts icons are acknowledged and celebrated alongside new work through light, form and sound to invoke the physical and metaphysical domains that remain present and prompt deeper, collective kōrero of, and about, space and place.

Tangaroa and Tāne Mahuta greet visitors at the entrances to their domains at Te Wehenga, bridging their traditional meeting point at the original coastline, the interface of wai māori and waitai. A diversity of manu and their chorus remind us that this valley was a place of natural abundance and wellbeing, with forms derived from metaphor which continue to be used in tauparapara and whaikōrero, connecting all to place and its enduring relevance. Horotiu stands to recognise the mauri of  Ngā Wai o Horotiu, and in rememberance of the tūpuna whose remains were uplifted and removed from this area to enable the construction of the town hall.

Tūrama recognises the importance of ensuring that the stories that we tell each other enable an understanding of difference and diversity, allowing us to celebrate that which is common and accessible to all.

Designed and created in celebration of the national recognition of Matariki, but with the foresight to be re-deployable for other kaupapa Māori in the future,

Tūrama brings light to this place as another marker on our collective movement from Auckland to Tāmaki Makaurau, the place desired by many.

A collaborative work from mana whenua creatives, Ataahua Papa and Graham Tipene, working alongside Angus Muir Design and Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau, Tūrama is an open invitation to all in Tāmaki Makaurau and beyond to revisit, remember, re-imagine, and refresh the mauri of the waters of Wai Horotiu valley.

Proudly supported by Auckland Council Events.

Installations

Horotiu | Te Atamira, Aotea Steps

Once a thriving river, Wai o Horotiu shaped the Queen Street valley and remains alive beneath the city, watched over by Horotiu as taniwha and kaitiaki. This presence calls us to remember the past, acknowledge sacrifice, and act with care for the waterways and communities of Tāmaki Makaurau.

Manu Korokī | Outside Civic and St James

The vibrant chorus of indigenous birdlife once resounded loudly throughout the Wai Horotiu valley, shaping the soundscape and language of Aotearoa and Tāmaki Makaurau. Manu Korokī is a collection of stylised forms of Tāmaki Makaurau birdlife in celebration of Matariki ki te Manawa and as a reminder of what once was.

Kawau tikitiki| Queen St and Durham Lane

Kawau Tikitiki is a powerful cultural symbol, often used in oratory to represent a chief or distinguished visitor. The head of the artwork looks to the east towards Takaparawha at Ōrākei, the ancestral heartland of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, acknowledging the mana and role of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei in the city centre.

Kāhu Kōrako| Cnr Queen St and Wellesley St

Kāhu Kōrako is a term for an older kāhu/hawk/New Zealand harrier whose plumage has lost the dark colouring of youth and whose feathers are pale, white or grey.  It serves as a metaphor for an elderly person of mana whose wisdom and grace will assist your passage wherever you travel within the hem of their korowai (cloak).

Te Wehenga| Queen St and Shortland St

The role of waharoa in Māori architectural tradition is to physically demarcate boundary, to mark the junction of realms, states, domains and/or space, a transition point where something changes. Te Wehenga is a contemporary waharoa that has been located at this point to physically embody and mark this notion of transition, and to remind us of the native and natural ecologies of place – natural, social and cultural.

Image via aucklandlive.co.nz