Kauri Māramatanga

The tree of light — Kauri Māramatanga — is a playful look at New Zealand’s majestic kauri. The artwork takes inspiration from an Indigenous belief that sacred trees stand at the centre of the universe, with roots extending to the underworld and branches holding up the heavens.

This light sculpture, however, features no roots or branches, just a slice of the picture, encouraging the viewer to delve into the depths of our consciousness. When viewing the work I ask us to think of what lies beyond the visible spectrum. Kauri: strong and magnificent. She outlived the dinosaurs, yet today stands on the brink of her own extinction.