NGA HAU E WHA
(THE FOUR WINDS)
Here you can view the process of making this beautiful sculpture and read the story and inspiration behind the design.
Click on images to enlarge.
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This sculpture represents a couple's journey from London where they met, then went back to the husband's homeland in New Zealand.
The central koru (Maori for new life) designs are the husband and wife. The upper and lower split koru designs are their four children. The large right hand koru is their journey and their new beginnings. The tapering Pasifika design through the middle represents the challenges experienced after arriving in New Zealand. The three circular patterns bottom right are the three waves that brought them here - Ngaru-nui, Ngaru-roa, and Ngaru-pae whenua.
I wanted to be daring with the layout, not ending up like a block of stone with a design on it. I took structural risks with less stone in the middle, and what appear to be lots of long branches of stone at the ends of the koru designs. I wanted layers and shadow, lines and curves and it had to be strong.
Nga hau e wha (the four winds) refers to people from all over coming together. The layout also looked a little like leaves scattered on the wind.
Brett Keno
New Zealand Stone Carving Artist and Sculptor