Have you noticed the brightly coloured – and at night-time, highly reflective – over-life sized birdpeople at Matapihi Art Gallery and the Raglan Old School Arts Centre?
They are Kaitiaki, spiritual guardians, and have made a stop in Whaingaroa, in an exhibition aptly named for the time – ‘Manu Matariki’, on an interactive journey from Auckland to Wellington.
“The Conference of the Birds” is an exhibition by Delicia Sampero, who uses reflective materials, mainly road-signs, as her choice of art medium.
“My aim has always been to have art outside,” said the Titirangi-based artist.
She said the Kaitiaki have been displayed at Titirangi (in West-Auckland) and Waiheke Island and from here will journey to the Hawke’s Bay.
“Next stop [will be] the Wild Flower Sculpture Exhibition in November, then [they’re] going to be in Wellington for the 2016 Wellington Arts Festival,” she said.
Delicia said the display pieces had QR-codes on the back of them, to encourage interaction.
People could take their smartphones, scan the codes and be linked to a YouTube video. It is also a way for Delicia to collect historical stories of the areas in which the birds are displayed.
“So that’s the idea, more and more history [so] that the main thing can be richer,” she said.
She said she will be making a historical video about Raglan, before November, so that in future it would be connected to the links.
Marcia Ahern
