Artist’s statement
Tracy Te Hēmi
In the past,
Meaning
Bag or basket
and
Meaning
Neck adornment
have allowed me to experiment on a small scale, testing out ideas to see what does and doesn’t work. I have used everything from
Meaning
Fibre extracted from harakeke (flax leaves)
Also known as: whiitau / whītau
,
Meaning
Flax plant, native to Aotearoa New Zealand
Scientific name: Phormium tenax
,
Meaning
Freycinetia banksii
, moss and
Meaning
Golden sand sedge - Ficinia spiralis
to
Meaning
Seaweed
, pinecones, palm husk,
Meaning
Corn - Zea mays
and leaf skeletons.
For this series, I have juxtaposed several resources to give a visual and textural interpretation of each of the five elements.
The Meaning Natural Maaori materials of these neck adornments have been sourced from my local area in Ōtautahi Christchurch, as well as Te Waipounamu, during the times of earthquake recovery and Covid lockdowns. I have practised sustainable harvesting and preparation as well as traditional weaving techniques.
As Meaning Non-Maaori , I have been privileged to have Meaning Māori knowledge passed on to me by Reihana Parata, Morehu Hēnare-Fleuty, Rānui Ngarimu, Paula Rigby, Mātakiwi Wakefield, Sue Tipene and Adrienne Spratt. Nōku te whiwhi.
Dive into the details
"Taahei are the 'vehicles' for experimenting with diverse textures, to portray a certain kaupapa (theme/topic), therefore light, ethereal rauemi have been used to depict 'Ko te Wairua'. In each material you are able to see the fibres, as well as see through the resource, which helps to marry the layers together.
There was lots of experimenting on how to attach each rauemi. Hauangiangi was bulky and sat quite high, therefore it needed to be placed further apart. Once attached and while still pliable, the fibres were able to be manipulated and pushed together to create a continuous form. Harakeke paper is the buffer between the roughness of the moss and fragility of leaf skeletons. Finallty, the leaf skeletons were placed further apart due to their width and to give them an airy feel. Therefore, the whole piece goes from extremely fibrous, decreasing in fibres with the addition of each layer, until you are left with the simplicity of the plain muka."
Essays
Explore in-depth writing about He Aa I Uta, He Aa I Tai: Weaving the Elements.
Whenu(a), Atua: Returning to Hine-te-iwaiwa through the maternal language of whatu
Dr Hinekura Smith (Te Rarawa, Nga Puhi)
1974 words
The language of weaving resonates deeply with the feminine and maternal body – as long as we use that language.
Ngaa ahuatanga marire mo te koiora - The Elementals essential for life
Ruth Port (Te Rarawa, Te Aupouri)
2950 words
A journey of re-connection and knowledge recovery as a group of weavers unravel long lost techniques used by Māori ancestral sail makers.
