The Long Waves of our Ocean: New responses to Pacific poems
Deliverables
Exhibition identity
Exhibition graphics
Custom typeface: tukutuku
Marketing collateral: airport billboards, large format banner, publication adverts, web tiles
32-page exhibition publication
Exhibition identity
Exhibition graphics
Custom typeface: tukutuku
Marketing collateral: airport billboards, large format banner, publication adverts, web tiles
32-page exhibition publication
The long waves of our ocean exhibits the works of contemporary Māori and Pacific artists responding to bygone poems of Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa. Early-career artists take poetry beyond the written or spoken word, to portray the enduring influence of the ocean on artistic practice, using new materials and images.
To affirm this artistic response, the exhibition identity typographically references the ocean; the movement patterns of currents rolling across its surface. The exhibition colours were inspired by the vibrance and boldness of tīvaevae, a traditional form of hand-stitched quilting made by Pacific wāhine. Tīvaevae signify a special or important occasion, as well as being a nurturing exemplar of cultural identity.
Within the exhibition and marketing, a typeface was created for the artist's names which reference tukutuku panels; a traditional woven artform seen in wharenui to convey a complex language of visual symbols that embody mātauranga māori. Tukutuku provides a way to understand the world, containing ideas as well as sustenance. The panels are thematically positioned between whakairo in te wharenui so they can respond to each other to convey māori narratives, kawa and tikanga. This notion is reflective of the artworks responding to the poems in The Long Waves of our Ocean.
Contributors
Exhibition curator Hanahiva Rose and supporting curatorial team.
Artwork featured: Sione Tuívala Monū
Exhibition curator Hanahiva Rose and supporting curatorial team.
Artwork featured: Sione Tuívala Monū