Dwellbeings at Ngā Manu

Welcome to our Boosted campaign. As a non-profit charitable trust, we need your help to make this exciting and inspiring art project a reality. 

ABOUT OUR PROJECT  

DWELLBEINGS will be a forest trail of eight sculptures (abstracted dwellings) that invite participants to consider the implications of home and habitat from the perspective of the native animals and plants iconic to Ngā Manu Nature Reserve.  

THE GOAL OF THE DWELLBEINGS EXPERIENCE is for each participant to react with surprise and delight upon discovering the dwelling and its associated dwellbeing. Each artwork will work as a springboard to an understanding of what having a home/habitat means to different life-forms.

The project will serve to deepen the appreciation of how art can provoke an understanding of the natural world and ultimately encourage the principle of kaitiakitanga for which Ngā Manu stands.

YOUR SUPPORT IS NEEDED

The DWELLBEINGS sculpture trail will live permanently at Ngā Manu, and contribute towards our goal of encouraging curiosity and understanding of the natural world.

This BOOSTED funding will enable us to:

• Create the artworks
• Install them at the reserve
• Design collateral materials

THE GENESIS OF THIS PROJECT springs from Ngā Manu’s goal of helping people, and children in particular, form deeper connections with the natural world. We recognise that an empathetic understanding of our environment can be nurtured in many ways. Whereas a simple sign will work for some, we are aware that there are a variety of dialogues available for children, the curious and young at heart.

We have commissioned artists Kemi & Niko to develop a sculptural project with the brief to create a visual dialogue between the audience (day-visitors to the reserve) and aspects of the natural world, based on the concept of dwellings.

They will create a series of eight small sculptural-concept dwellings which will be installed discretely along the main forest trail. Each dwelling will be positioned to evoke an aspect of an animal’s or plant’s ecological footprint and relationship to its environment. The sculptural dwellings will be created from reclaimed materials and the trail will be supported with a ‘treasure-map' styled hand-out, designed to enchant and engage the imagination of children. This take-home component will use illustrations and creative and scientific prompts to encourage the participants to search for each dwelling along the bush walk.

WE APPRECIATE YOUR HELP. Please share our campaign page with your networks and follow our campaign journey on Facebook and Instagram.

Ngā mihi nui. 

WHO’S INVOLVED?  

We are Ngā Manu Nature Reserve and our kaupapa is to preserve and enhance native forests so that their inhabitants can flourish, along with strengthening the connection between people and nature through education. Please view our profile to learn more.

Kemi & Niko are a multi-disciplinary artist duo working across art and design in their socially engaged, values-based practice. They have been creating and presenting their unique art around Aotearoa since 2011 and their Urban Hut Club was a popular feature at the New Zealand Festival of the Arts 2020. We have teamed up with Kemi and Niko because they share our passion for conservation and live with a focus on the symbiosis of life, nature and art. Their creations are varied, direct and always embody their values, connecting the public to their environment and each other.