Work
puāwai
for taonga pūoro and viola
About
'puāwai' for taonga pūoro and viola is an exploration of the meaning and symbolism nested in this word
While the tactile, physical body of the viola is used to explore the sense of a seed or flower physically pushing itself open into the light of the new world, the voice of the pūmotomoto invokes the word's symbolic connections with childbirth and the sense of the human body opening like a flower.
The work ripples with a sense of bright delicacy. Invoking a sense of subdued energy, light streaming through the canopy, or as a presage of the light of new life, the viola's flickering harmonics echo the flickering rhythmic patterns of the poiāwhiowhio, while the soulful voice of the pūmotomoto, and ultimately the kōauau ponga ihu meld seamlessly with the soulful lyricism of the viola.
Commissioned note
Developed in collaboration with Ariana Tikao (taonga pūoro)