Pupurangi Pendants Workshop

Starting with clay blocks, participants will learn the processes of carving away, to unveil a kauri snail shell object, that they’ll refine into a wearable pendant. Participants will have the time to repeat the process, and are welcome to bring their own shells. Todd will demonstrate modelling techniques that can be used to sculpt figurative or abstract forms as well as approaches for refining shape and detail, with time for one‑on‑one guidance. Todd will also lead participants through the process of making woven cords for their pendants. Participants will leave with at least one pendant (unfired) and one woven cord. Firing options will be provided. Spaces are limited so book your ticket early. This workshop will be held in the Logan Campbell building. About the Artist: Todd Douglas Ngapuhi (Ngati Manu, Te Mahurehure), Pakeha (Scottish, Welsh) Clay is an amazing material, intriguing and fascinating as well as being technically challenging. When I work with it, everything about it, from its tactile nature to its transformation in the kiln, grounds me. Each stage of the making is a transformation that you nurture and guide. You can’t force uku. You have to allow it to change and become. Just as I transform the clay, it transforms me. My forms are often interconnecting parts that make the whole: the clay fired, bound and lashed. These pieces are interwoven, entwined together, reflecting who I am. In my new series, Earth Vessels, I’m processing the experience that was the climate event, Cyclone Gabrielle. Evacuated and homeless after the cyclone initiated a journey exploring topographical contours, isobaric wind patterns, spiralling pressure systems and atmospheric rivers. Climate change is here and now.