Te Ara- The Pathway

Designed by The Momo Collective – Faith McManus and David Sarich

A 60 metre mural for the Kamo Shared path.

Mike Farrow from Littoralis Landscape architects asked David and Faith to respond to the history of the Railway and have some visual connection to the earlier Raranga Banners and Railway Bridge in Walton Street.

After viewing the site which was quite dreary in winter and reading the archaeologists report David and Faith set about designing a work to enliven the area.

The mural speaks to more than one history: that of the railway but also an acknowledgement of tangata whenua and the environment.

The Raranga patterns are timeless and come with their own meanings. Each pattern began as a small woodcut print that Faith hand cut in her print studio.

They worked collaboratively using Photoshop to create each panel for the mural.

David and Faith have used the woodcut prints in new configurations and colours to suggest the shapes of railways and tracks on the whenua.

Pattern has it’s own language and each panel took on it’s own small story within the longer journey. The poutama pattern speaks to various genealogies and is the connecting link through the entire mural. The star/ whetu pattern is there for guidance as a navigational aid on the pathway. The kuri /dogs are modelled on friends’ dogs ‘Honey and Winnie’ and speak to the everyday use of the path.

Big thanks to Fast Signz for helping with the digital printing and installation of the mural panels.

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