Takuahiroa

Fusing Māori concepts and traditions with a contemporary design aesthetic and digital technology, Kaaterina has created her own visual language to explore themes of genealogy and ancient knowledge. The approach for this work is to illuminate a creative coding, language system, the reclaiming and retention of indigenous histories and the transmission of indigenous knowledge systems. This digital and oral composition combines 378 layers of imagery exploring ideas of space, time, symbolism and intertwined knowledge. It also introduces a new dimension within the work called oro—the echoing and resounding of verse and imagery, connecting oneself and imbuing a sense of presence. Takuahiroa also references for Kaaterina a place and space likened as a digital repository for her whānau, oering a vehicle for storing and passing on of knowledge and whakapapa. The mōteatea that interweaves the motion graphic, reminds us of various pūrākau that sits beneath the waters’ surface. One of those pūrākau, is that of Ruatepupuke and Manuhuri. Reminding us of the importance of respect and kaitiakitanga of and for the environment that surrounds us.

Kaaterina and Tai Kerekere are a creative art and design duo based in Uawa, Tolaga Bay on the beautiful sunny East Coast of Gisborne, Aotearoa. Their boutique creative consultancy, KE Design, offers their own unique and distinctive styles, as Kaaterina and Tai both navigate creative systems, offering one-of-a-kind works, tailoring processes and working style to fit the needs of people and place.