"ka whiti te ra"
ARA Journeys took year 10 students through a process of discovery and expression of cultural identity using local Ngāti Te Ata stories related to the landscapes surrounding the Manukau Harbour.
our place
Waiuku College caters to the diverse needs of their community. From the Waiuku township and the wider rural communities of Pukeoware, Aka Aka, Otaua, Glenbrook, Waipipi, Awhitu and Waiau Pa. A strong partnership exists with our school’s parents and the wider community. Waiuku College acknowledges Ngāti Te Ata as mana whenua in the district.
our stories
This Tuwhiri Project gave the students an opportunity to learn about stories in a presentation in the school marae. They were then led on a cultural landscape tour by Kaiako Rhema Jakeman - where stories are passed on orally while standing in places of significance.
Class discussion and research:
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tohu and respect for the plants and wildlife
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the significance in regards to sense making, metaphor and history
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mana-whenua and their guardianship of stories
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the significance of the place
Local history, landscape and stories presentation in the school marae.
our mahi
Over a two day workshop Whaea Rhema and ARA Journeys creative Ben Kenobi, led the students through an iterative process focused on the creation of a single character or event the students selected from their favourite part of the stories.
“It was a fun workshop - a fun couple of days seeing all the stories and trying to put something together that retells the story.” - Paige (student)
Students see their first ideas in AR.
Our process:
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using our Insta-Pou rapid prototyping techniques students made AR content that they could view live within the first few minutes of the workshop
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assumption mapping the story kaitiaki and audience
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develop ideas through iterative process
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communicate ideas through the design of in-game 3D textures and shaders
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understand how our art is used in the production pipeline and assigning visual effects
our creations
Students worked individually to create pou using mixed media 2D physical artwork scanned in to the app and texture effects.
"It's cool to see the connection between the local community and the tech side of things because you have to be here to see it. Bring their cousins and mates here and talk about the land while seeing this cool art they made shown in an app anyone can get from the store."
Melissa (parent)
The pou appear as augmented reality models in the Tuwhiri app near the Sandspit Reserve, Waiuku.
Available now on Google Play and iOS.
Nikora with his work.
