Fresh From The Field — Ngā tauira whai a Matariki (The string patterns of Matariki) – By RUN Aotearoa
For June & July we are focusing on Design & Te Ao Māori on the Design Assembly website – featuring interviews with Māori designers, project features spotlighting their work & design processes, to thought leadership articles that inspire and challenge the Aotearoa NZ Design community.
Drawing inspiration from the game of Whai, Run Aotearoa walk us through their Ngā tauira whai a Matariki installation at Sylva Park.
Fresh from the Field is a weekly article series sharing fresh and inspiring work from the Design Assembly community. Want to submit your work to Fresh From The Field? Fill out the form here.
The Brief
The rise of Matariki in Aotearoa is an important time in the Māori calendar, as it signifies the start of the new year.
Sylvia Park wanted to celebrate this with their customers and help to improve the wellbeing of their shopper community by bringing people and communities together. They required an installation that celebrated and educated customers about Matariki in an authentic and accessible way. The designs needed to be showcased across 5 large walls and a floor decal in the centre court, as well as supported by a digital campaign.
The Design Response
Traditionally during Matariki the many games of te whare tapere (the house of entertainment) were played. Te whare tapere held the knowledge of storytelling, songs, music and games. One game that was played was whai. In whai a person created patterns using a loop of flax string held between their hands.
We drew from whai as the inspiration for the Matariki installation. To celebrate Matariki and traditional Māori games we connected the cluster and each of the nine stars to a whai figure.
We used captivating photography to showcase the whai figures, playing with scale to capture attention in the large space, while creating an immersive experience for visitors moving through the display. Typography spelling out the names of each of the stars is woven through the imagery. We selected a solid typeface with clean lines to reflect the string formations, while keeping the attention on the imagery.
The names on top of the display panels in the installation are a constellation and some bright stars that can help people find Matariki in the night sky.
The Design Team
RUN Aotearoa
Laura Cibilich – Co-Founder / Design Director
Raymond Otene McKay – Co-Founder / Chief Creative Officer
Ariana Stone – Pou Ahurea Māori / Cultural Director
Dylan Wasson – Senior Graphic Designer
Cassidy Kiwha – Graphic Designer
Hāriata Mann – Junior Graphic Designer
Shelley Cousins – Account Director
Contributors
Mike Braid
Sean McCabe
https://www.runwithrun.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/runwithrun
Instagram: @runwithrun
https://www.instagram.com/runwithrun/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/runwithrun
The Client Team
Sylvia Park
Client details
https://www.instagram.com/sylviaparknz
https://www.facebook.com/sylviaparknz
https://www.linkedin.com/company/kiwi-property-group/
https://www.sylviapark.com/events/celebrate-matariki-with-sylvia-park/
