Mahi toi
The circular motif was inspired by two well known and respected toi whakairo (carving) elements used by Ringatoi Māori (Māori Artist)
Te Takarangi - A circular motif which uses negative space to separate its two solid spirals. Known as a reference for the creation story of Papatūānuku and Ranginui. It talks of our whakapapa to celestial beings and our primordial relationships to the natural environment. Te Takarangi is often used on surface design, in relief and in mass/void sculpture. We honour Ngā Atua and the natural environment by acknowledging their interconnectivity with eachother and to us. We embrace the cycles and patterns of Te Taiao (the natural environment) & Ngā Atua, learning from them in all that we do.
Te Rauru - A circular motif with an elliptical centre, usually separated by ridges in a beaded line. Used throughout toi whakairo (carving) to show where limbs once moved or joined. Rauru is seen on the cheeks, in the centre of the forehead, on the shoulders, in smaller iterations on knuckles, on the knees & on the buttocks of our pou and tiki to express the corporeality of our Tīpuna (ancestors), immortalised through art. Inspired by its ability to denote movement of stationary forms, and to express the mauri (life force) of our whakairo (carvings) - it felt like the appropriate motif to use when trying to render the spread of the word and a human connection through language, in animation.
Designer:
Sonya Milford, Senior Digital Designer
Ngāti Kahungunu ki te Wairoa