Tohorā Art Project

10/11/2022

Meet the creative director of our Tohorā Art Project in his art studio this weekend on the Kāpiti Coast Arts Trail. Hamish Macaulay is an international artist based in Waikanae, who has also exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in our Art for Everyone programme. Check out his latest work before it is gone.

Open studio again this coming weekend - 12/13 Nov, 10am-5pm. 6 Matipo St, Waikanae.

I think I talked more last weekend than in the whole last year. It was wonderful explaining my process, inspiration, past and future with some absolutely awesome visitors and collectors.

It'd be lovely to see you this weekend, but if you can't make it to Kapiti I've started putting some of the available artworks on my website, so no one misses out 😆 link in bio ➡️
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06/10/2022

Happy 30 year anniversary to the Guardians of the Kāpiti Marine Reserve! We love your work, we love your dedication, and we love being able to celebrate our environment through community art. :)

04/10/2022

Last week we met Peter, who doesn't normally visit art galleries or attend exhibition openings. Entering Kiwibank Paraparaumu however, he found himself beside some beautiful tohorā and took a closer look. After a brief chat about the project, Peter and his wife said they would love to come to the opening tomorrow night. We've always believed that art is for everyone which is one of the reasons we established the Art for Everyone programme, taking art into everyday settings.

Join us at 5:30pm tomorrow 😊
https://fb.me/e/3IS57ud2n

03/10/2022

If you haven't been underwater at Kapiti Marine Reserve, check out this short video showing some of our marine species made five years ago. It's why we want to stop waste entering the marine environment. Come to the Tohorā Exhibition Celebration tomorrow night and find out more about the work of the Guardians of the Kāpiti Marine Reserve and learn from environmental artist Hamish Macaulay how collected waste from Kapiti Island forms part of the art installation.

Video credit: Captured Essence, Visual Media

01/10/2022

Why make a community art installation from waste materials?

The results of a 16 December 2021 Citizens Science Litter Intelligence Survey revealed that waste materials such as wood, rubber, textiles, metal, paper, cardboard, foamed plastic and small plastic were embedded along a section of Paraparaumu Beach. Volunteers such as Martin Halliday for Kapiti Council and members of the public take part in these regular surveys, also at Kapiti Island where buoys, fenders, fishing net and other plastics and waste materials wash up. The top offender by a long way is plastic.

Artists, marine biologists, scientists, waste warriors and people in the Kapiti Coast community came together to help make this large art installation using donated waste materials from local businesses that would otherwise go to landfill, waste collected from the coastline and Kapiti Island, and plastics donated from Waste Free Kāpiti that were also diverted from landfill.

Between 20 August - 16 September 2017 in the last Kapiti Coast District Council SWAP Survey, which audits the types of waste being disposed of to landfill, it found that:

* 39 tonnes of plastic waste at Otaihanga RFF ( 35 tonnes were non -recyclable) and

* 22 tonnes of plastic waste from Otaki Transfer Station

were sent to landfill.

However a lot of plastic is in the marine environment that is not measured and this is dangerous for our marine species. Our hope is that the Tohorā Art Project inspires us as individuals to reduce our waste and choose alternatives to plastic.

29/09/2022

A stunning exhibit, brought together over the past year by environmental artist Hamish Macaulay working with the wider community in ten workshops.

View at Kiwibank Paraparaumu 10am - 2pm, Monday - Friday.

27/09/2022

One of the most reliable elected members we have worked with this triennium is Councillor Sophie Handford. She does the mahi, helping to make the art and spread the word about workshops, as well as coming to the Creative Manaaki Art for Everyone exhibitions when she can. Thanks for all your support of the community Sophie.

How cool does the finished Tohorā Art Project at Kiwibank Paraparaumu look?! 🐋😍

Check out the project’s page for more information on its purpose and process. ❤️

Creative Manaaki

07/08/2022

Work in progress 😊