GOOD READ
Homeward bound
Artists Lissy Cole and Rudi Robinson are using sculptural techniques to build a traditional wharenui (home) out of crochet as a tribute to their Māori heritage
Lissy and Rudi make crochet art that celebrates their Māori heritage, and are currently creating a full-sized building called a wharenui
Photo: Lula Cucchiara
New
Zealanders Lissy and Rudi are on a crochet mission! The husband and wife team have embarked upon a 3D project of a staggering scale – they plan to create a wharenui, or traditional M ori meeting house, entirely covered in crochet. The ‘build’ will take them many months, and is designed to celebrate M ori culture.
“Wharenui Harikoa is a fully crocheted wharenui (Harikoa translates as ‘joy’), designed around the story of the Māgeori New Year, called Matariki,” explains Lissy. “This wharenui will be transportable and we will tour it throughout Aotearoa (the M ori name for New Zealand) and then the world. We see the wharenui as a beacon of joy, healing and love for all people. It is a celebration of all that we are as M ori, and is a vessel in which we are offering one way to heal inter-generational trauma into deeply felt joy, one loop at a time.”