Ko Mana Moana, he mea raupī, he kākano i whakatōngia e Rachael Rakena rāua ko Mike Bridgman, ā, he mea whakaputa e te pakihi whakaputa mahi toi a Storybox. Kua huihui mai ngā ringa toi rongonui, ko ētahi he Māori, ko ētahi he Tangata Moana kia mahi tahi ai hei whakaputa i ngā mahi toi rerehiko. He rapunga i ō tātou hononga ki te moana, ki te panonitanga āhuarangi, ki te hangarau hoki, mā roto i ngā kōrero taketake, i ngā tirohanga taketake, me ngā mātauranga taketake. Koinei ngā whanonga pono o Mana Moana: ko te mana, te moana, te vā, te whakatangata whenua, te whakatūtū, me te mahi tahi.
Ko te whakaputanga tuatahi o Mana Moana i te tau 2019, he mea whakaatu i ngā kaupapa oro/ataata e rima ki runga i tētahi mata whakaata wai i Whairepo i Te Whanganui a Tara – he wāhanga o ngā kaupapa whakanui i a Matariki. Kua whakawhiwhia te kaupapa o Mana Moana ki te tohu koura i ngā 2019 BEST Design Awards, ā, kua kōwhiritia mō te hui ahurei toi Nuit Blanche Toronto ki Kānata. Arā tētahi terenga kiriata i runga i a Whakaata Māori e whakaatu ana i te kaupapa o 2019, ā, kei reira ētahi uiuinga i ngā ringa raupī me ngā ringa toi.
I 2020, kua huri te aroaro o Mana Moana ki tēnei wheako ipurangi, nā te pānga mai o te mate urutā korona. Mā konei e pupū ake ai ngā kaupapa o te hauora, o te taurite, o te mahu i roto i ngā mahi toi.
Mana Moana, curated and conceived by Rachael Rakena and Mike Bridgman, and produced by arts production company Storybox, brings together leading interdisciplinary Māori and Pacific artists to collaborate on multimedia and moving image artworks. Exploring our relationships with the ocean, climate change, and technology through indigenous perspectives, knowledge and narratives. The Mana Moana project values are mana, moana, vā, indigenise, activism, and collaboration.
The inaugural Mana Moana project in 2019 presented five audio-visual works on a water screen at Whairepo Lagoon in Wellington as part of Matariki celebrations. The 2019 project received a Gold at the 2019 BEST Design Awards and has been selected for the Nuit Blanche Toronto international art festival in Canada. A Māori TV video series showcases the 2019 project and features interviews with curators and artists.
In 2020, the project has pivoted to this online experience due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In doing so, themes of well-being, balance and healing are forefronted in a number of the works.
All enquiries to manamoana@storybox.co.nz