The formation of life was celebrated with a larger-than-life artwork in South Dunedin yesterday.
The 3.6m by 3.4m acrylic work, Puaka Matariki, was created by Dunedin artist James Bellaney to celebrate Matariki, the Maori new year.
''It's about the Maori philosophy of creation and unity. The moment all the elements came together to create the ecosystem,'' Bellaney said at the unveiling yesterday.
''Before te ao-marama, or the natural world, all the gods were swimming around in unity. Then Tane Mahuta [god of the forest] split them apart and they all found their own spaces in the ecosystem.''
The work was commissioned by the Matariki Festival Trust and completed in July.
Matariki is the Maori name for the Pleiades star cluster, which traditionally heralds the start of the Maori new year. It was celebrated on June 10 this year. The triptych was installed in King Edward St, South Dunedin, yesterday morning on the exterior of the Pact building. Pact supports people with intellectual and other disabilities and people recovering from mental illness.
''The wall space was a really prime spot for it and it's a community art project, so I wanted it to go to an organisation that is an important part of the community,'' Bellaney said.
