In ‘Painted Landscape’ the whenua of Te Whanganui a Tara is explored through touch in a temporary pavilion of paint. The space facilitates the learning of the waiata, Waewae Taku Haere (composed by Kura Moeahu).
Paint as a material is wasted in both liquid and solid forms. This pavilion addresses the potentiality of paint as a three dimensional object rather than a aesthetic surface. As such, the pavilion is best experienced in near darkness.
As the you enter the pavilion, shoes are taken off to walk barefoot across the topography of Te Whanganui a Tara carved out of layered paint. Smooth, colourful contours undulate across the floor, lit up by the sun streaming through the open door.
The door is closed. Cracks in the cladding allow in pinpricks of light to help navigate the space, illuminating small amounts of colour. The cladding itself is compressed bricks of pieces of dried paint, creating a rough exterior and interior.
Walking through the space, strands of textured paint stretch from floor to ceiling, locating the sites the waiata speaks directly to. Each strand has a unique texture that evokes the sensation of that place.
Selection of Technical Drawings: