Janine Williams' artwork Whai will be suspended across the Gantry at Silo Park until October.
Janine Williams' artwork Whai will be suspended across the Gantry at Silo Park until October.
A unique light sculpture inspired by a traditional Māori string game is now showing at Auckland’s Silo Park.
The 3D light artwork, Whai, created by contemporary artist Janine Williams (Ngāti Paoa, Ngāti Whātua ki Kaipara, Ngāti Mahuta), will be suspended across the Gantry at Silo Park until October 5.
Williams has a passion for artwork that reflects mana whenua narratives, the stories of people and whenua.
In Whai, she brings ancestral narratives to life through contemporary design by mirroring the playful string loops and tangles of the game.
Auckland Council plans to move Whai to different locations around the city.
The work was first commissioned by Auckland Council Public Art for Matariki ki te Manawa in 2024.
Now, it has been made larger and occupies a more prominent space with 360-degree views across the city and Waitematā Harbour from the Gantry.
The light loops play on the traditional weaving forms of the string game.
“Whai keeps Māori traditions alive, a shared experience that bridges cultures, ensuring they remain vibrant and celebrated for generations to come,” Williams said.
She wanted the work to invite people to immerse themselves in the game.
“For centuries, Māori children have played and become skilled at whai, learning complex patterns and the stories behind them. Through connection, creation, and discovery, Whai offers everyone that learning experience - bringing people together through the joy of making.”
In 2022, Williams studied full immersion te reo Māori at Te Wānanga Takiura and continues to study part-time.
Williams is a mother, business owner and is in her final year of an Executive Master of Business Administration at Massey University and Master of Professional Creative Practice at Toihoukura.
She often works alongside her husband, Charles Williams, to create brightly coloured, large-scale murals honouring kaupapa Māori.
Many of their works include vivid depictions of New Zealand’s native birds in flight. They also have a strong interest in graffiti art, with the pair decorating vans, walls and even motorway underpasses around Auckland.
Auckland Council said Silo Park was chosen as this year’s temporary site for Whai as the precinct strongly reflected the waterfront’s heritage.
“The regeneration of Wynyard Quarter acknowledges its place on the edge of the Waitematā, retaining elements of the area’s industrial history.”
Over the next three to five years, during the Matariki season, Auckland Council Public Art will exhibit Whai in different locations.
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