Māori flute making

There's something beautiful about the synchronicity of Richard Nunns delivering his presentation of Māori wind instruments the night before Tim Wraight runs a Māori flute making workshop from his Marahau studio. The two artists have much in common, not least the privilege of being granted access to a traditional Māori art form.

Zopfi, (2009), Oak wood, 3000x500x600mm, 2500x500x450mm, Unterspitzibuehl, Goldau, Kanton Schwyz, Switzerland

Tim Wraight is a New Zealand artist specialising in wood sculpture. His training in the art of wood carving has included eight years working with traditional Māori woodcarver John Mutu, at Te Awhina Marae in Motueka. That period spent fully immersed in the culture and context which surrounds the artform, has influenced and informed Tim's work right across the different areas of his practice.

Tim produces works that fall into roughly three categories; Whakairo (traditional and contemporary Māori wood sculpture); contemporary works which express his and his clients' perspectives; and works which occupy a space in between.

Artefact #1, (2004), Totara wood & natural fibre, 400x300mm

He has completed a number of significant public and privately commissioned works in his career to date, including works in four of the region's marae, public buildings and spaces in New Zealand and the USA, and for private collections in New Zealand, Switzerland and the UK.

Tim's large scale works have been exhibited at some of New Zealand's major outdoor sculpture exhibitions including Sculpture on the Peninsula (Christchurch), Sculpture Onshore (Auckland), Shapeshifter at the New Dowse Art Museum (Wellington).

Artefact #1, (2004), Totara wood & natural fibre, 400x300mm

For the Winter Workshops, Tim will run a workshop on how to make a Māori flute, or kōauau, out of bone or bamboo. The workshop will be held in Tim's studio overlooking the Otuwhero estuary at Sandy Bay near Marahau.

Artefact #2,  (2006), Totara wood & stainless steel, 540 x 420mm

You can find out more about Tim by visiting his website.

Richard Nunns Presentation

Richard Nunn's presentation will be held on Friday 11th July at 7pm, at the Chanel Arts Centre. Tickets are $10 each and need to be purchased in advance by contacting Pania on 03 5284115, 022 3752559, or via email: manysmalldots@gmail.com. 

Twenty years ago, Richard Nunns (then known to me as "Mr Nunns") was my high school English teacher. He took us on a road trip to visit famed New Zealand author Keri Hulme in Okarito, and was patient while we tortured Shakespearean English during hour-long readings of Macbeth. He was a fantastic teacher and one of the few I remembered from my high school years.

This photo is from the website: www.mauitheshow.com

These days, Richard Nunns is no longer an English teacher but a world renowned expert in Maori wind instruments credited with reviving a once disappearing Maori art tradition. He has spent the last few decades travelling the world, playing his flutes and other instruments in locations as diverse as the rainforests of the Amazon, the concert halls of Europe, and for the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra here in New Zealand. He has ben honoured with a Queens Services Medal for services to Taonga Puoru, an honorary doctorate from Victoria University, and is an Artist Laureate of the Arts Foundation of New Zealand.

This photo is from Richard Nunns' website www.richardnunns.net.nz

And now, excitingly, he will be delivering a presentation of these fascinating Maori wind instruments in Motueka as part of the Winter Workshops. You can watch a Maori Television documentary about Richard Nunns here (it's about 8 minutes long):

Fortunately, it looks as though the venue will allow a good number of people to attend this presentation. So, keep an eye out for the yellow Winter Workshops registration form (hitting the streets of Motueka in May) and get in quick to book your seat at this undoubtedly fascinating event.