Ella Knipe, 12, was one of the 500 children who contributed their life story to a 2m by 2m installation called Whiria Tahi/Unite Together, now mounted on the wall at Te Rau Hao/the Kaiapoi Technology Centre.
‘‘It was cool to be able to express who we are ourselves, what we like doing, our interests and the sports we play,’’ said Ella, a year 8 pupil from Kaiapoi Borough School.
Said centre leader Daniel Gorman: ‘‘Each of the school pupils from the Waimakariri district attending the centre for technology classes was asked to draw symbols on a strap of linen that signified who they were, where they came from and their culture.
‘‘They could use any designs to describe who they were.’’
Brax Twiss, 12, also of Kaiapoi Borough School, says the process was very enjoyable.
‘‘Being able to express ourselves and to see how others had made their straps helped us a lot. My one had Nike’s logo to show I liked running, a basketball because I like playing basketball and musical symbols to show how much I enjoy playing music,’’ he says.
Gorman says once all the straps were completed, several teachers came back after school to help weave the straps into 25 panels.
These were then linked up to form one giant panel.
‘‘We hung it on our wall to share it with everyone visiting us.’’
He says they were surprised at how big the panel became.
‘‘Initially, we were going to hang it as a diamond, but once we pieced it all together, we realised how big it had become. It had to be lifted into place using a scissors lift, and we ended up mounting it as a square.’’
The installation joined several others which pupils attending the centre have created using new and old technologies.
