Kaiwhakairo, customary artist and designer, the mana whenua appointed artist for Karanga-a-Hape Station speaks about his mahi.
At Karanga-a-Hape Station, the intent was to integrate the artworks into the fabric of the architecture, and to convey mātauranga Māori in a way that everyone can relate to. The design process initially involved sketching and making maquettes of each item. The entire process was driven by attention to detail. There was a mutual respect of skill sets between myself and the architectural team; this formed the basis of a joint vision to develop a station which is visually harmonious, balanced and of high quality. Practically, we met regularly to develop the viability, scale, materiality and methodology of each concept.
There were five artistic elements I had a role in creating: the concrete panels known as Me te Rangi ka paruhi, meaning “like a glorious tranquil day”; the sky element, Te Ikaroa, the Milky Way; the vent, named Te Pō, the darkness; the string carving work Me te Ōturu, “like the full moon”; and the pūpūrangi vaulted ceiling, Ko Tāne Pupuke, “Tāne rises up.” This involved the development of the cultural narrative for each piece, the selection and sourcing of materials, providing hand-carved elements, and working alongside the architects, engineers, fabricators, and ultimately the construction team.
Me te Ōturu reflects the Maramataka, the traditional Māori lunar calendar: a golden aluminium sun, jewel-coloured wires interwoven through pītau-shaped guides representing the incoming and outgoing tides, culminating in hand-carved kauri discs, which express seven key phases of the moon.
I’m most excited about the station for its ability to convey pride in our culture to locals and visitors alike.
Read the full feature on City Rail Link’s three new stations
This article originally appeared in Architecture Aotearoa Issue 02.
