Ana Teofilo steps into the dim light of a museum gallery that is not finished and not open to the public. Outside, there’s the chatter of children but in Tūhura Otago Museum’s Tāngata Moana (Peoples of the Ocean) Gallery, there is only silence and signs of things to come: a step ladder, empty display cases, bench seats pushed together in one corner.
The work going on is the first revamp of a main gallery at the museum in more than a decade and at its heart is a striking carpet that Teofilo designed to tell a story of culture, connection and continuity across the Pacific.
Seeing it installed for the first time, the New Zealand-born Samoan artist is ‘‘emotional, overwhelmed and proud’’.
Months before, she was in the museum’s basement, seeking inspiration among one of the most important Pacific collections in the country. The stores include wooden carvings, tapa cloth and other artefacts from Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Niue and the Cook Islands.
Holding measina and taoka (treasures) with intricate detailing rarely seen today was her favourite part of the project, she says.
‘‘There was a lot of emotion for me because I feel like a lot of it should be seen. It needs to be seen.’’
‘‘So I knew my job was to take certain motifs that we see every day, but also motifs we don’t see, and to bring them alive in the carpet.’’
Teofilo’s hand-drawn sketches on A3 sheets of paper were carefully translated into a large-scale installation by the museum’s senior designer, Anna Taggart, who digitised and adapted the design for production.
Rich blues and turquoise tones reference the ocean that connects Pacific peoples, with layered earthy hues representing land and the natural materials from which many taoka are made.
Every element is connected to an artefact or a symbol that is found across Pacific cultures, she says, with several, such as frigate birds and a floral ‘‘compass’’, speaking to migration, navigation and ancestral voyages across the ocean.
In Pacific culture, birds are considered messengers between the earthly and spiritual realms. In the gallery, they act as ancestral guides, watching over the space and those within it.
The shape of the carpet’s main design element was inspired by a pandanus fan. Found across many Pacific cultures, fans are not just used for cooling down or ceremony; they also represent honour, leadership and woven stories passed down through generations.
Elsewhere in the design, there’s a coconut palm — nicknamed the ‘‘tree of life’’ because every part, from the fruit to the trunk, is useful — and a motif that could be seen as either a frangipani or the footprint of a plover bird.
The lines through the carpet vary in width and are not quite straight — a deliberate technique that reflects that tapa cloths are invariably imperfect.
Teofilo also wanted the design to be playful and interactive; she can imagine her children, aged 4, 7 and 8, exploring the symbols and picking out ones they like.
A wavy line of yellow dots guides visitors around the perimeter of the gallery. Finding that many items in the Pacific collection featured ‘‘repetitive dots’’ was a ‘‘light bulb’’ moment, she says. It’s a pattern that is rarely seen in modern tapa but one she uses in her own work — adding opaque glue dots to her carvings.
The discovery gave her a ‘‘bit of perspective’’ and made her realise everything in design has been done before: ‘‘We’re just reinterpreting stories’’.
‘‘It also felt like my ancestors are guiding me when I create, without me even knowing that it’s already been done.’’
The daughter of Samoan parents who came to Dunedin in the late 1980s, seeking ‘‘a better life and a better future’’, Teofilo says there are many public spaces where Pasifika people don’t necessarily feel well-represented, so being part of the gallery redevelopment has been special.
Growing up, she copied the patterns of the traditional tatau (tattoo) on her father’s body and developed a passion for art while at high school. That led to her doing a masters of visual arts and last year she opened her own gallery and studio where she showcases her work and hosts art workshops.
Some of those arriving at the St Kilda space are from her alma mater, Queen’s High School. At their age, she didn’t see art as a ‘‘real’’ career pathway because there were few examples of Pasifika people engaged in it fulltime.
‘‘I always reflect back to what I never had growing up — especially loving art — knowing that if someone was just down the road who I could go and visit, it would have given me a lot of hope to know ‘OK, you can do this’.’’
Previously called the Pacific Cultures gallery, it had remained largely unchanged since it first opened in the early 1960s.
After the space closed in January last year, the project evolved through consultation with Pasifika communities in Ōtepoti and beyond.
‘‘These conversations highlighted an opportunity to create a space that more meaningfully reflects Pasifika cultures, stories and identities, shaping a significant redevelopment of the gallery’s Polynesia section,’’ it said in a statement.
The renewed space includes updated lighting, refreshed display cases and digital storytelling. Removing internal walls also created an open-plan layout ideal for cultural ceremonies, performances and educational sessions.
Community members selected taoka from the collection to go on display and, in some cases, loaned items of their own.
‘‘This collaborative approach has ensured that Tāngata Moana is not just a refreshed gallery, but a space led by Pacific voices.’’
While museum director Dr Ian Griffin described the redevelopment as nationally significant, Teofilo simply hopes that people will enjoy spending time there.
‘‘As you would when visiting the Pacific Islands, I hope visitors feel a sense of warmth, embrace and genuine connection . . . ’’ she says. ‘‘It’s a colourful and joyful carpet, and I hope people can feel the love, care and intention woven into every part of its journey.’’
The Tāngata Moana gallery will open to the public from midday on Saturday, June 6, following a morning of official opening ceremonies.
