We opened OneOne - Raranga on Friday night at The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora, to a packed Great Hall. It was very special to be able to deliver this activation with live dance, live music and live transmission visuals. The harakeke whāriki disc and kete from Kahu Collective weavers are the centrepiece to our immersive installation for Matariki 2021.
Nancy Wijohn, Alistair Fraser, Stuart Foster, Donnine Harrison with director Daniel Belton enjoyed bringing this mahi to life for the public. Korean musicians DUOBUD, along with dancers from China and Singapore also contributed long-distance to the evolving work. Our connections over the waters to Asia are celebrated - raising the international dialogue, bridging Asia to the Pacific.
Matariki is the Māori name for the cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades. The cluster rises in midwinter and for many Māori, this visibility in the night sky signifies the beginning of a new year. As the sisters of Matariki guide us into the new year here in Aotearoa New Zealand, let us weave together and honour traditional cultural values and practices. It is a time for hope and the long vision. We see the Pleiades star cluster in the night sky.
Nau mai ngā hua. Nau mai ngā pai. Nau mai kia nui. Kia hāwere ai. Welcome all things that have grown. Welcome all things that are good. May they be plentiful and abundant.
Thanks and gratitude to Chris Archer and The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora staff, Lisa Harding, Corabelle Summerton, Cathy Payne, Nancy Wijohn, Alistair Fraser, Stuart Foster and Massey University, Chris Kwak and Toitū Museum, Janessa Dufty, Xiao Ke, Jill Goh, Simon Kaan, Jihye Lim, Sora Kim, Casey Ahn, Patxi Araujo, Jac Grenfell, Nigel Jenkins, Jamie Bull, Richard Nunns whānau, Asia New Zealand Foundation, Creative New Zealand toi Aotearoa and all our team and supporters.
“This work is both highly technical and futuristic yet captures a sense of timelessness and the ancient” — “Richly evocative” Theatreview
OneOne - Raranga 2021 reviews: AN ALCHEMY OF SCIENCE AND ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE COMPLEX AND MYSTERIOUS
