TiHei Mauri Oraby JONATHAN COATES

Tihei Mauri Ora 3

introductionresearchidea generationdesign developmentfinal design

con-tents

57152982

4

HOW CAN MAORI CULTURAL MEMORY BE

PASSED ON WITHIN THE NEW CONTEXT

OF A DIVERSE CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY?

Tihei Mauri Ora 5

AIM/OBJECTIVE

Through the investigation of this issue, the project develops a solution to how Maori cultural memory can be passed on within the new context of a diverse contemporary society. The project is described in four sections.

Part one describes the research under-taken that examines and analyses technol-ogy, culture and the global market place as sources of inspiration for generating design triggers.

Part two outlines this generation and ex-ploration of ideas, and refines them into concepts for a design solution.

Part three builds on these concepts through design development and ex-plores narrative in relation to form, com-position and construction, with a view to resolving a final design.

Part four describes the final design and summarises its relevance as a suitable design solution to the described issue.

The culture of our contemporary world is becoming increasingly diverse due to globalization and growing multicultural societies. One way that this changing en-vironment can be seen in New Zealand is in the amount of knowledge or actual experience of Maori culture. Like many other cultures, Maori culture has tradi-tionally relied on cultural memory being passed on between generations for the preservation of its identity. As the world around it changes, the tools that aid in passing on the cultural memory also need to develop and change.

intro-duction

6

re-search

Three areas relevant to the project are investigated and outlined in this section: Footfalls and Heartbeats Intelligent Textile Technology, Maori culture and its rel-evance as part of a typical New Zealand Lifestyle and the Japanese Brand Muji as a global marketplace context. Through this research connections are made and a position is developed from which to trigger ideas.

Tihei Mauri Ora 7

8

AN INTERACTIVE APPLICATION

8

FOOTFALLS&HEARTBEATS - INTELLIGENT TEXTILE TECHNOLOGY

Footfalls and Heartbeats is an emerging company with a very new and innova-tive technology defined as an “intelligent textile” that uses a “mathematically determined knitted fabric structure” (K. Bender, personal communication, July 15, 2011).

tech-nology

Fabric, or a garment, that incorporates their technology can act as a sensor which has the ability to measure bio-electrical signals – the outputs of intimate interactions that occur within the human body. These signals can be read, record-ed and calculated as data for a variety of uses. The fabric can also be expressed in a simpler form as strain gauge or a pres-sure sensor where signals are calculated through change in resistance, registered through knitted conductive yarn relating to the fabrics change in stretch. Footfalls and Heartbeats CEO Karen Bender says that their main specialty is in remote physiological monitoring but there is potential for many other applica-tions. One example of its potential to register bioelectrical signals is its use as an input device for any expressive output such as music making, visual projection and other forms of multi-media. Francois Aubin and Jean-Marc Robert state in Bioelectric Input Devices that input devices based on bioelectric signals have been present for many years, one of which being MADDM (Music Activated Dance Directed Music) -

“translates the motion of a dancer into musical sounds by detecting and process-ing myoelectric signals, and sending the information to a musical synthesizer. It includes two interaction modes which permit, first, to translate the motion of a dancer into musical sounds, and second, to control series of precomposed musical events.”(Aubin, 1992)

This illustrates how the device uses the body’s electric signals as an expressive form of art or design. Expressive outputs such as this can equally be created through using the fabric as a pressure sensor where read-ings from the textile are calculated and used as data, processed and outputted to effect conditions such as sound and lighting. This shows that interaction with the fabric can be used to create a three dimensional interface at a human scale. Footfalls & Heartbeats’ technology offers huge potential in extracting information from different interactions with the textile. Potential applications include all types of interactive media such as sound, lighting and projection.

9Tihei Mauri OraTihei Mauri Ora 9

10

One aspect of the culture which is regarded as very special within the realm of Maori spiritual life is Taonga. The term Taonga in Maori culture is defined as a treasure or, as stated in the Oxford On-line Dictionary, an “an object or natural resource which is highly prized”.Taonga can be seen in all aspects of Maori culture such as in art and sculpture, cultural performances including haka and powhiri, places and in the everyday lives of many people.TePuia, New Zealands National School of Maori Carving and Weaving describes taonga as something that “might be a carving, a woven cloak or some other work of art. But a taonga contains far more than artistic value. It has spiritual value, it may tell stories about people or places, and it may link its creator back to ancestors of earlier generations.” (Te Puia, 2010)The keyword is “spiritual value”. Taonga is something seen as sacred or tapu by Maori culture and is embedded in the culture in a way that preserves their cultural memory and identity.

Jan Assmann describes cultural mem-ory as the “outer dimension of human memory” -

MAORI CULTURE - CUL-TURAL MEMORY

New Zealand is a diverse, multicultural country with a wide variety of cultures, but the culture that is unique to us is Maori culture.

“The Maori people are the indigenous people of Aotearoa (New Zealand) and first arrived here in waka hourua (voyag-ing canoes) from their ancestral home-land of Hawaiki over 1000 years ago. Today, Maori make up over 14 percent of the population. Their language and culture has a major impact on all facets of New Zealand life…. Today Maori people live throughout New Zealand, and many are actively involved with keeping their culture and language alive. Within any Maori community, the marae provides a focus for social, cultural and spiritual life.” (NZ Tourism, 2011)

CULTURE IS CHANGING

Tihei Mauri Ora 11

New Zealand is a diverse, multicultural country with a wide variety of cultures, but the culture that is unique to us is Maori culture.

“The Maori people are the indigenous people of Aotearoa (New Zealand) and first arrived here in waka hourua (voyag-ing canoes) from their ancestral home-land of Hawaiki over 1000 years ago. Today, Maori make up over 14 percent of the population. Their language and culture has a major impact on all facets of New Zealand life…. Today Maori people live throughout New Zealand, and many are actively involved with keeping their culture and language alive. Within any Maori community, the marae provides a fo in a contemporary context is Te Kakano: A gift on behalf of the Nation. Te Kakano is a large traditional carving being created by the New Zealand Arts and Crafts institute – Te Puia as a gift to China. Te Puia explains that “the carving will act as a cultural portal between the two countries. It will be an enduring symbol of cultural respect from the people of New Zealand to the people of China.” (Te Puia, 2010)Te Kakano is a spiritual symbol that is sustaining a culture’s identity by pass-

a culture’s identity. Within the context of New Zealand and Maori culture, this is represented in a multitude of forms or “cultural mnemonics”. Examples include Maori language, the telling of myths and legends, gestures in performance or composition and formal qualities in art and sculpture.

Maori language is something that is expressed in a number of ways - not just through spoken words but through cultural symbols and techniques referred to as mnemonic devices. In his book Patea whakairo: Maori and the written word, Bradford Haami de-scribes language and its form in memory as a traditional example of how an iden-tity is passed through generations.“The traditional Maori world was an oral culture. Language and memory (aided by mnemonic devices) were used by pre-literate Maori to preserve and communi-cate information and knowledge. Such a world reproduces its culture by embody-ing memories in words and deeds: ‘the mind through the memory carries culture from generation to generation’.” (Haami, 2004)

An example of a mnemonic device used

newzealandlife-style“the way a society ensures cultural continuity by preserving, with the help of cultural mnemonics, its collective knowledge from one generation to the next, rendering it possible for later generations to reconstruct their cultural identity. References to the past, on the other hand, reassure the members of a society of their collective identity and sup-ply them with an awareness of their unity and singularity in time and space—i.e. an historical consciousness—by creating a shared past.” (Assmann. 1992)Assman explains the importance of the role cultural memory plays in sustaining

CULTURE IS CHANGING

12

MUJI- JAPAN

Muji is a renowned company within Japan and the rest of the world that promotes itself with the tagline, “back to our origins, into the future”, on its website. They market themselves as clean and simple at heart and at the forefront of quality and value for money.

CULTURAL AESTHETIC

Figur

e 1:

Whi

te L

ettu

ce (S

ourc

e: B

aune

tz, 2

009)

Tihei Mauri Ora 13

This sensitivity within the Japanese culture is described in an article by James Bright-man -

“In Japan, each person is expected to conform to societal ways and norms.... Japan is a collectivist society where group needs and wants are placed above those of the individual and Japanese people tend to be other-directed. Subsequently, they are extremely sensitive to and con-cerned about relationships.” (Brightman, 2005)

When we talk about sensitivity it can be regarded in many different ways, from sensitivity in communication, relationships and interactions to more physical sensitiv-ity such as formal, visual and sensory aspects. For example sensitivity inherent in Japanese communication is “silence, subtle body language, mood, tone, and intuition are techniques”. (Lacy & Nyman. 2004)

These examples show how Japanese design has created its own distinct set of aesthetics that hold great meaning within Japanese culture. This is a successful prec-edent for designing within context.

draw parallels to the Japanese tradition of design simplicity.

“Economic improvement has resulted in globalization, yet art, by contrast, moves toward localization, which means originality.”

Hara explains that art is derived from its cultural context, so that is where it finds its meaning. This is an important aspect to consider when designing, especially within a global context. Design needs to make sense in the culture that it was born from.Fellow Japanese designer Zhu E explains that one of the most prominent features of Japanese design is its effort to explore local culture. “Since Japanese people hold culture in high regard they have, both in form and content, created unique characteristics with rich artistic influences in the realm of literature, art and design,” (Jinjanyu, 2011).

The Japanese design ethos is very much concerned with sensitively embedding the culture of a design into its essence, resulting in a meaningful and successful design.

globalmarket-placeWith their no-label philosophy, Muji have a brand approach that is unique in a con-sumerist society and that they see as an attempt to create individuality with every product. (Muji, 2011)

Muji has grown significantly over its 28 year lifespan, and is now dispersed throughout the world. As a brand Muji is deeply in touch with its cultural history and identity. Muji’s lead designer Kenya Hara attributes the company’s giant suc-cess to “localized aesthetics” which

CULTURAL AESTHETIC

14

The research concludes that the tech-nology Footfalls and Heartbeats have developed has the potential to be used as an application within interactive media where intimate relationships with the body, as well as gestural interactions, can be expressed. Within the context of today’s diverse and multicultural environ-ment there is a need for new ways of sharing and passing on the memories of Maori culture - to not only Maori but also non-Maori. The global brand Muji shows how a set of distinct aesthetics can com-municate the essence of Japanese cultural values.

Connections between these three areas of research are clear. Footfalls and Heartbeats technology can be used as new interactive form of mnemonic device relevant to sharing and preserving Maori cultural memories. Muji is a precedent for how cultural values can be embedded within aesthetics.

re-search+con-clusion

Tihei Mauri Ora 15Tihei Mauri Ora 15

This indicates a potential for “interactive data” to be translated and processed through a number of computer interfaces and outputted into expressive forms such as sound, light and projection.

The following section explores two con-cepts that each look at an aspects of Foot-falls and Heartbeats technology; firstly using bioelectric signals as an interactive element to read and translate objects and secondly using the pressure sensor qualities of the fabric to act as a physical interactive element within a space.

idea+gener-ationCombining Footfalls and heartbeats tech-nology as an interactive media application with a set of cultural aesthetics like in Japanese design, a concept for creating a new form of mnemonic device that helps share Maori Cultures Memory and identity within a diverse environment can be developed.The Footfalls and Heartbeats technology focuses on interaction. The fabric can be used to extract or record an interaction and read in the raw form of signals or data.

16

READING + TRANSLATING OBJECTS

17Tihei Mauri Ora

They convey such stories through their visual qualities and their tactile qualities that are felt. Sometimes though, the story is not always seen or felt and in most cases requires some level of esoteric knowledge from the viewer.con-

cept+oneCULTURAL MEMORY IN STORIES

Within Maori culture there are many traditional ways that cultural memory is passed on. One is through storytelling, in many forms. Traditional Maori mne-monic devices such as weaving, carving and architecture are examples of ways memories and stories are told within ob-jects. Maori carvings can pass stories on through their surface patterning and form.

READING + TRANSLATING OBJECTS

18

19Tihei Mauri Ora

One scenario is a carving shrouded with the intelligent textile, presenting a solely tactile interaction to occur. The partici-pant explores the object through touch. With the aid of the fabric their interaction and experience is extracted, translated and outputted into a familiar and under-standable, visual or aural form that tells the particular stories that are relevant to how they have experienced and touched the object.

The exploration of this concept included various experiments of shrouding objects in particular ways that gave signals as to how the object should be interacted with.

con-cept+oneUSING THE FABRIC TO TELL A STORY

With the ability to record and translate interaction, the opportunity to record a person’s interaction with an object is made possible. Further more it is pos-sible to translate the esoteric knowledge needed, for example when reading a carving, into a language that someone lacking it can still understand.

20

THE MAORI CREATION MYTH

21Tihei Mauri Ora

existed between Ranginui, the sky father, and Papatuanuku, the Earth mother. Tightly joined, Ranginui and Papatuanuku gave birth to many children that existed between them. Immersed in darkness the children schemed to separate their parents of which resulted in light glowing into the world. (Te Ara, 2011)

Through sketching and modelling a space was developed that expresses the three main phases of the story. The main element of the story where the two parents become separated is represented in the interactive element of the space. While the space is being experienced it transforms, corresponding with the transformative events in the story. It begins as a dark lifeless space, before the interactive element made up of two fabric walls spaced narrowly apart where the participant has to push and separate their way through, allows it to transform. At this point light is projected into the space illuminating it and mapping an essence of their presence and movement through the space. This concept shows an application of the fabric mapping presence and movement as light.

con-cept+twoINTERACTIVE SPACE

The Maori creation myth is an important story embedded within Maori culture. It was chosen as the starting point for creat-ing a interactive space. This story expresses the Maori belief of how life came to be on earth through the transition from darkness and nothingness to the world of light.The tale begins with the description of Te Kore, the darkness and nothingness that

22

Tihei Mauri Ora 23

24

Tihei Mauri Ora 25

26

Tihei Mauri Ora 27

28

In conclusion these two different con-cepts explore interaction in two new ways. Reading and translating objects through a type of fabric interface can be explored further but becomes compli-cated as it involves dealing with cultural objects with high spiritual value. Sharing a cultural story through an interactive space however has the potential to be be creatively developed and adapted further. Using the fabric as a physical interactive element can engage people in an experi-ence, providing a vivid and experiential memory of the story.

con-cept+conc-lusion

Aspects needing further development at this stage included incorporating multi sensory outputs such as sound combined with projection, and also considerion of how the narrative is utilised in all aspects of the space.

Tihei Mauri Ora 29Tihei Mauri Ora 29

NARRATIVE

The conceptual stages of this project establised that narrative is an important part of telling a story in Maori culture, and a way of distilling cultural memory. How this narrative is conveyed is the integral part of preserving and passing on such memory. Traditional Maori weaving, carving and architecture are common examples of mnemonic devices that help share the stories embedded within

de-sign+devel-opment

the culture and responsible for passing on such memories. The Maori creation myth has been chosen as the story to be represented in the design.This section develops the concept of an interactive space, touching on aspects of this narrative in relation to form, feel, function, composition and construction, all explored through a number of medi-ums such as sketching, modeling, full scale mockups and multi-media experiments.

30

Tihei Mauri Ora 31

Stretched and pulled apart at six dif-ferent points, the form expresses the attempts of the six main bothers of the story to separate their parents. Two points situated in the centre of the form point towards the Earth and the Sky with the space in between them creating the greatest tension within the space.

Scale and composition were also devel-oped with the intention that the person experiencing the space was to walk inside the fabric structure and interact with the form using the fabrics sensor technology to alter sound and projection within the space. Components such as projectors, speakers and structure were consid-ered in terms of position and navigation through the space.

Sketching and modelling variations of form that represented the Maori crea-tion myth led to various iterations of a fabric membrane. The resulting form was made up of two horizontal fabric elements sewed together flat, represent-ing the close relationship of Ranginui (the Sky Father) and Papatuanuku (the Earth Mother).

narra-tive+form

32

Tihei Mauri Ora 33

34

Tihei Mauri Ora 35

3636

com-position+components

Today’s’ contemporary environment is becoming increasingly more diverse due to globalization and societies growing more multi-cultural. In particular within New Zealand It has been established that this changing environment has a direct relevance to Maori Culture. Maori Culture like most cultures relies on its cultural memory to be passed on to future generation for the preservation of its identity. As the environment that sur-rounds it changes the devices in which aid in passing the cultures memory also need to develop and change. This project investigates this notion and develops towards a solution of how Maori Cultural memory can be passed on within a diverse contemporary society.

The project is structured into five sec-tions. Part one includes an introduction to the project and the issue, aim and objec-tives. Part two is the research component that examines and analyses technology, culture and the global market place as source of inspiration towards generat-ing possible triggers. Part three outlines idea generation, where a number of avenues are explored towards defining a concept. Part four builds and refines these defined concepts and explores narrative in relation to form, composition and construction to a point of resolution toward creating a final design. Part five outlines the final design and concludes its relevance a suitable solution to the area of investigation.

Tihei Mauri Ora 37Tihei Mauri Ora 37

38

WHAT DOES NOTHINGNESS FEEL LIKE?

Tihei Mauri Ora 39

Once a general form was developed a full scale 1:1 test prototype was built to explore the tactile and spatial qualities of the fabric when shaped into such a form. This testing helped to develop a physical-ity to the narrative – answers to ques-tions relating to the creation myth such as what does nothingness feel like feel? were only fully discovered through this experimentation.

form+feel

40

Tihei Mauri Ora 41

42

CHANGE IN STRETCH = CHANGE IN OUTPUT

feel+func-tionFABRIC PRESSURE SENSOR

Another detailed experiment was under-taken to explore how much the fabric stretched in certain places, in relation to the position of direct strain. Results showed that at the position of direct strain the most change in stretch oc-curred, but there was still a proportional relationship to the rest of the fabrics sur-face. Even right near its edges the fabric underwent a certain amount of stretch, suggesting that if the whole fabrics surface

position; change in stretch could be rep-resented as change in output.When the participant enters the space outputs are triggered relative to the par-ticipant’s position and interaction.

Tihei Mauri Ora 43

44

Tihei Mauri Ora 45

SOUND+IMAGE

Two sensory outputs, sound and image, were essential in creating a sensory ex-perience that helped convey the story’s narrative.

inter-action+output

46

In relation to the narrative of the Maori creation myth, both the native maori language and recognisable sounds rela-tive to elements of the story were key components in conveying a cultural feeling. When combined they contribute to better understanding of the story being told. Further experiments were under-taken to gain understanding of how the chosen sounds were actually heard and experienced within the space and where to position speakers.

Emerging technological advancement in directional speakers proved to be the successful components for this applica-tion. Directional speakers have the ability to funnel sound towards a specified area of the space.

Tihei Mauri Ora 47

sound+dir-ection

48

image+proj-ection

Tihei Mauri Ora 49

Projected image was also another key output for the design of the space; how the images acted and changed on the fabrics surface when formed, pushed and pulled was considered. It was discovered that physical interaction with the fabric gave the ability to focus, blur, un-morph and morph particular images depending on the direction of the source.

50

Tihei Mauri Ora 51

Construction details were resolved to reinforce the resolution of the whole form. Resolved structural and connecting elements include the design of a dome like structure made of fibre pull-truded rods that utilise the outward tension forces that acts as the support framing for the fabric to inhabit. Ball and socket joint footings were also designed to hold the framing structure and connections that join intersecting rods.

constr-uction

All structural elements were designed to encompass an essence of the creation myths narrative, for example the six foot-ings around the perimeter of the struc-ture represent the six brothers of the story.ments were designed to encompass an essence of the creation myths narra-tive, for example the six footings around the perimeter of the structure represent the six brothers of the story.

52

Tihei Mauri Ora 53

54

250

Ø 29

R33

R40

Ø 18

36°

A

AØ32

R09

Ø26

140

SECTION A-A

ALL MEASUREMENTS IN MM. SCALE 1:5 AT A4.

55Tihei Mauri Ora

+

+

12000

6000

TAWHIRI-MATEA(GOD OF THE WINDS)

HAUMIA-TIKETIKE(GOD OF WILDBERRIES+FERN-ROOT)

TU-MATUAENGA(GOD OF THE WAR)

TANE-MAHUTA(GOD OF THE FOREST,BIRDS+ INSECTS)

RANGINUI(SKY FATHER)

PAPATUANUKU(EARTH MOTHER)

RONGO-MA-TANE(GOD OF CULTIVATED FOOD)

TANGAROA(GOD OF THE SEA, FISH+REPTILES)

56

Tihei Mauri Ora 57

58

Tihei Mauri Ora 59

60

Tihei Mauri Ora 61

With a final form and composition resolved features of the interactive components of the space needed to be developed. With sound and projection established as the two major sensory out-puts, filming and editing was completed to compose and express the experiential qualities of the narrative. It was chosen that recognisable symbols from nature such as flax moving in the wind and subtle shimmers of light within a forest were capable of communicating a sensory aes-thetic understandable to most cultures.

inter-active+narra-tive

62

Tihei Mauri Ora 63

64

Tihei Mauri Ora 65

66

Tihei Mauri Ora 67

68

Tihei Mauri Ora 69

70

Tihei Mauri Ora 71

Layers of footage that relate to signals extracted from strain on the fabric were composed and processed within Max MSP, an interactive media interface, and set up to output through projectors and directional speakers.Having resolved all aspects of creating an experience of the narrative, a full scale detail of a section of the design was con-structed. A final designed solution

narra-tive+experi-ence

has been produced that answers the question posed at the beginning of the project: how Maori cultural memory can be passed on within the new context of a diverse contemporary society.

72

Tihei Mauri Ora 73

74

Tihei Mauri Ora 75

76

Tihei Mauri Ora 77

78

Tihei Mauri Ora 79

80

Tihei Mauri Ora 81

82

Tihei MauriOra is an interactive spatial installation that exhibits the Maori Crea-tion Myth for all to experience. A large fabric membrane takes the shape of the story’s narrative, expressed fully through journey and experience. Embedded with sensor technology the fabric skin acts as a three dimensional interface, of which the participant can push and pull to shape their own experience.

final+de-sign

Through exploration the space becomes filled with sound of the Maori aural language, and projected images that il-luminate the fabric’s skin morph with the participants’ interaction and movement.

TiHei Mauri Ora

Tihei Mauri Ora 83

INTERACTIVE SPATIAL INSTALLATION

84

Tihei Mauri Ora 85

Assmann, Jan (1992) The cultural memo-ry. Scripture Memory and political identity in early civilizations. Munich: Beck.

Aubin, F and Robert, J. (1992). Bioelec-tric Input Devices. New York: ACM

Baunetz. (2009). Japanese Aesthetic. Retrieved from http://www.baunetz.de/img/25084885_296135f943.jpg

NZ Tourism Guide. (2011). Maori Culture. Retrieved from: http://www.tourism.net.nz/new-zealand/about-new-zealand/maori-culture.html

Te Ara. (2011). Story: Maori creation traditions. Retrieved from: http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/maori-creation-tradi-tions/1

Te Puia. (2010). Taonga. Retrieved from: http://tepuia.com/taonga_treasure_gal-lery_te_puia_rotorua.htm

Te Puia. (2010). Te Kakano: A gift to another Nation. Retrieved from: http://tepuia.com/carving_project_te_kakano.htm

refer-ences

Brightman, J. (2005). Vol 2. Issue 6. Asian Culture: Brief. Manoa: University of Hawaii

Haami, B. (2004). Patea whakairo: Maori and the written word. Wellington: Huia Publishers

Hohle, M. K. (2005) interview: Muji Creative Director, Kenya Hara. Retrieved from: http://www.thememagazine.com/stories/muji-kenya-hara/

Jianyu, J. (2011). Global Times . Re-trieved from: http://www.globaltimes.cn/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Print.aspx?tabid=99&tabmoduleid=94&articleId=661909&moduleId=405&PortalID=0

Lacy .Nyman. 2004. Doing Business in Japan. Retrieved from: http://www.rik-kinyman.com/training/japanese_culture/communication.htm

Muji. (2011). MUJI Global. Retreived from: http://www.muji.com/message/