An exploration of 'te takoha' aimed at bringing a new community together after significant natural disaster; 'Poha' is a public light installation for the people of Kaikoura symbolic of their Mana Whenua from the story of ‘Te Poha O Tohu Raumati’ and acknowledging the strong connections that Ngati Kuri have to the sea.

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‘Te Poha o Tohu Raumati’ has great cultural significance to the Ngati Kuri as the sacred kelp bag containing the fruits of the land their ancestral chief ate from, thus claiming guardianship of Kaikoura for his people. Poha is made by stretching apart the exterior wall of the large blades of the seaweed with fingers and then blowing air into them like balloons, tying them with flax at the top and leaving them to dry until they turn into a ‘soft leather’. Traditionally, poha is then wrapped in the bark of the totara tree and woven flax, able to keep food stored for up to 2 years.

‘Bull kelp’ is a large part of the marine ecosystem in this area, suffering from the significant sea lift during the Kaikoura earthquake. I was fascinated by the variety and beauty of the organic shapes dependant on the kelp that had been harvested.