Whetūrangi: Rona Ngahuia Osborne and Dan Mace
9 June 2015 - 19 July 2015
AV Gallery
Rona Ngahuia Osborne and Dan Mace, video still from Whetūrangi (2015)
Whetūrangi
(verb) (-tia) to appear above the horizon (a star or the moon). Most often used in the passive form:
Tirohia atu nei ka whetūrangitia Matariki, te whetū o te tau.
Look,The Pleiades, the star of the year, appears above the horizon.
Rona Ngahuia Osborne and Dan Mace, video still from Whetūrangi (2015)
Whetūrangi is an immersive audio-visual installation that gives faces to the constellation we know as Matariki. Matariki is a group consisting of seven individual stars: Matariki, Tupu-a-nuku, Tupu-a-rangi, Waitī, Waitā, Waipuna-a-rangi and Ururangi.
Whetūrangi presents each of these tūpuna whetū, these ancestral stars, in a humanoid form.
Seven wāhine (the seven sisters), are represented by seven separate video loops arranged in the shape of the constellation.
Rona Ngahuia Osborne and Dan Mace, video still from Whetūrangi (2015)
The style of costume and general presentation of each of the wāhine is carefully constructed to reflect characteristics of the star she represents. Whetūrangi features a rhythmic, musical soundscape produced by the tūpuna whetū depicted.
Some play taonga puoro, some use vocal sounds and words.
The seven loops are of differing durations - as a result the sounscape is organically evolving, and will never be the same twice.
Together these stars produce an engaging waiata: he tangi whetū. Playing together in the darkened room, this waiata becomes a wānanga – an immersive, educational experience that presents the seven stars of Matariki in a culturally enriching environment.
The artists wish to acknowledge their production team: Mairi Gunn, Mike McCree, and Ngaio Osborne; and their model Huia Marama Osborne, for their energy and support in creating this work.
Join artists Rona Ngahuia Osborne and Dan Mace on Saturday 20 June for for an insight into their exhibition Whetūrangi. This exhibition talk will begin at 11.30am.
PARTICIPATING ARTISTS
Rona Ngahuia Osborne has a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland. Rona grew up in Hokianga, Northland; she is fifth generation Irish, Scottish, Welsh and Māori - Kai Tahu. It is this cultural mix that drives and defines much of Rona’s practice. In 2003 Rona created the brand Native Agent, as an outlet for her clothing and textile work. In 2004 Rona and her partner Dan Mace established a design store and gallery of the same name in Kingsland, Auckland, and then later in Ponsonby. Today Native Agent is an online store with regular pop up exhibitions in various cities. In 2011 Rona was selected to exhibit as part of the Te Taumata exhibition series put on by the Auckland Council as part of the wider Matariki Festival. She exhibits regularly in both group and solo shows. Rona works in West Auckland, where she lives with her husband and two daughters.
Dan Mace (Ngāti Maru Ki Hauraki, Clan O’Boyle)
Dan is an award winning graphic designer and director, specialising in animation, motion graphic design, experiential installations, and time based art. Dan acknowledges his mixed Māori and Irish heritage when discussing his practise and uses the digital medium to reinvigorate the telling of Māori stories. He enjoys weaving together strands of voice, story, and visual presence to create an experience that is relevant in a contemporary context. ‘Māori artists employ digital technology in the same way that our ancestors picked up steel tools and oil paint to adorn our houses.’