Waituhi, 2018
Angela Kilford & Aliyah Winter
Wellington Railway Station & Jervois Quay
In 2018, the Wellington City Arts and Events team commissioned two Waituhi projects for Matariki. Puawānanga was selected for two locations in Wellington city.
The closing of space between sky and water during Matariki is illustrative of the close connection between Papatūānuku (earth mother), Ranginui (sky father) and the celestial beings. During Matariki the stars, specifically the rising of Puanga mark the beginning of the new year. In whakapapa and Māori cosmology Puawānanga (Clematis paniculata) is the daughter of Puanga and Rehua and is a harbinger of spring indicating the time for harvesting tuna (eels).
The work Puawānanga incorporates signs of the earthly realm through the image of Puawānanga and the celestial realm with the constellation of Matariki emerging from the cluster of other stars. Situating Puawānanga in the celestial realm serves to celebrate the close connections between all things through whakapapa.
