ECHOES
Year 3 Capstone Project
Echoes is a Māori enterprise dedicated to reconnecting urban Māori with our culture through innovative, meaningful experiences. Tailored for Gen Z Urban Māori, Echoes provides a novel way to engage with Māori heritage, echoing our storytelling traditions while reflecting contemporary urban life.
In Māori creation narratives, the world of light was discovered when Tāne separated his mother, Papatūānuku (Earth Mother), from the embrace of her beloved Ranginui (Sky Father). The separation ended Te Kore (The Great Nothing-ness) and the many phases of darkness leading to Te Ao Marama (the world of enlightenment).
The premier product of Echoes is a modular sculpture named Te Kore, inspired by this creation story and designed to grow/evolve with us by acknowledging and symbolising different stages and milestones reached in our lives through sculpture.
The initial sculpture starts with two sections that represent Papatūānuku and Ranginui. With each life milestone, a custom-designed segment is added, separating these initial sections and creating a unique, evolving piece that tells your individual story. This separation of earth and sky with sculpted pieces symbolising stages of growth and mastery Echoes the urban Māori experiences resulting in a bespoke sculpture depicting your life journey that honours our Māori storytelling and craftsmanship customs.
The Process
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Research & Ideation
As with every project it begins with research. This time around though, I wasn’t quite sure which direction I was going to head in, but I knew I was going to deal with my culture and identity. Due to this I researched wide and looked at multiple things that could spark interest and inspiration. This approach ultimately lead to the idea of a modular product that could have many applications and outcomes dependant on the user.
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Exploration
Since I knew I was going to deal with my culture, I started playing around with other things I was interested in and looking at the intersections between them. This lead to exploring a brutalist style sculpture that would have Māori meaning infused with it. The idea was to tell a traditional Māori story in a new medium and blend it with contemporary themes. ALthough this didn’t quite end up being the final direction, it opened my eyes to the urban Māori community and their different needs.
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Branding
Halfway through this project, I felt lost about the direction of the physical aspect, so I focused inward and worked on the branding and visuals behind the product. This helped align the ideas and concepts that were floating around in my head and bring a clearer direction to the project as a whole.
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Experimentation
Now that I had a brand behind the product, I needed to knuckle down and further refine the concept. Through many sketches, digital mock-ups, and iterations I finally came up with the modular sculpture concept. The sculpture was inspired by both the Māori creation story and brutalist architecture.
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Finalisation
Although I initially thought my concept was going to work, the reality was that working with concrete (even with help from a professional) wasn’t going to be a smooth ride. The first attempt at a pour was done too late into the project and when it didn’t work I needed to pivot and pivot fast. So, I simplified the design, scaled it down, and 3D printed the pieces instead. I finished them by gluing, sanding, and painting the parts and once they were done I created a mini photo studio and photographed them.
