"The protective cloak, of which we all are part,
woven in the spirit of shared guardianship of Mount Taranaki"
Commissioned in 2000 by the Department of Conservation
for the North Taranaki Visitor's Centre to celebrate the centenary
of the Egmont National Park, and the new millennium. Sponsored by
BCL.
KAITIAKI is a cloak of protection, korowai whakamaru,
for Mount Taranaki.
The weaving of these many fibres symbolises the power we have
in working together to nurture our physical and spiritual environments.
The exterior is woven from supplejack (aka). This element
comes directly from the forest on the mountain's lower slopes. It
carries the lessons our bush has for us, with its simple demonstration
of
how diversity can exist in harmony and balance.
The use of copper as an element in this work is symbolic also.
Copper is a material used widely for its extraordinary conductive
capacities, carrying warmth to the interior of the cloak. It
is also a fine
communications fibre, used to transport information, and in this
case, carrying the intention of the work.
This concept was explored through collaboration between the Artist
and local Maori, bringing an important bi-cultural quality to the
creation of the artwork.
