Last week we had the lovely Outreach Educators from the Art Gallery, Rachael and Jen, come to our Community Class for an Art Workshop.
Armed with felt pens, spray bottles and a lovely sunny afternoon, Rachael showed us how to create ‘printed’ patterns on feather templates.
The mood was relaxed and the colours and patterns that soon started to emerge were not only beautiful but also uniquely expressive, each feather showcasing a distinct charm.
Māori cloaks, known as kākahu or korowai, are traditional garments woven from flax (harakeke) and adorned with various natural materials like feathers and skins. Each feather used in a Korowai carries the mana (spiritual power) of the bird it comes from, symbolizing the interconnectedness of all living beings. By bringing all our individual feathers together as one, we have created a cloak for our Classroom that embodies our interconnectedness.
Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa – Let us keep close together, not wide apart
The Dunedin/Ōtepoti Team
