An exhibition showcasing the breadth of woven Taonga in our regional museum has won the Installation category at the Resene Total Colour Awards.
“In Turuturu: Fingers, Feathers & Fibre colour and design were used to provide deeper meaning and context to the Taonga on display taking inspiration from the harakeke (flax) plant, the woven structure of a kete, and the concept of weavers as knowledge holders. Colour was critical to achieve the design concept and winning the Resene award is a great result for the team,” says James Price, Exhibitions & Facilities Coordinator.
The competition’s judges noted “the colours are so carefully woven into this project it is almost difficult to see where one colour ends and the next one begins. This careful related selection means not only are the hues sympathetic to the curated collection, but they relate equally well to each other. Inspired by nature’s unerring mastery of colour, this palette layers the best of nature’s inspiration with a flaxen twist. A natural winner.”
“This exhibition offered just a taste of the Taonga we have in MTG’s collection and it is wonderful for our museum and our design team to be recognised in this way,” says MTG Director Laura Vodanovich.
The Resene Total Colour Award finalists are usually announced in early August with the winners revealed at a big event at the Viaduct Events Centre as part of NZ Fashion Week. Because of the pandemic, NZ Fashion Week was cancelled and the judging delayed.
Turuturu: Fingers, Feathers & Fibre, which closed in July, is also a finalist at the Designers Institute of New Zealand Best Design Awards, alongside two other exhibitions designed by MTG Hawke’s Bay with winners due to be announced this Friday.