WINNER – Mayor of Devonport ‘Behind the Curtain’ award $500
Highly Commended
Mayhla is a contemporary weaver and her life is immersed in her creative pursuits. The use of sustainable and repurposed materials features strongly in her practice.
Mayhla’s education includes a Certificate in Tevaevae (Traditional Cook Island Art) and a Degree in Māori Visual Arts. Both qualifications were obtained at Te Wananga o Aoteroa, Auckland, NZ.
he karere ki nga atua i te rangi – messenger to the gods in heaven is inspired by Mayhla’s love of Tui. In Māori culture Tui hold powerful significance having been used by Ariki (chiefs) and Tohunga (expert practitioners) as the medium to communicate with the Gods.
With their exceptional vocalisation skills Tui were trained to recite karakia (prayers/chants), and also to welcome guests with speeches, in te reo Māori.
In honour of Māori culture this ensemble has been constructed using the traditional weaving technique of Whatu, including mawhitwhiti. The individual whenu (warp) are woven together with the aho (weft) using a double ply finger weaving method to fabricate the body and wings, simultaneously adding the handmade feathers.
Taking around 600 hours to create, the piece is made from 1.8km of recycled, deconstructed paper (end to end) sourced from recycling centres. It features 388 handmade and painted beads and 468 hand cut and painted feathers.
Mayhla Howells on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mayhla.howells