Tukutuku workshop

This workshop will demonstrate the very basics of Tukutuku where each participant will come away with a form of Tukutuku and knowledge to inspire their own mahi toi. All materials supplied. Prior to the workshop participants are encouraged to research Tukutuku patterns and become familiar with the meanings. Artist biography. Elena Rei Ngāti Toarangatira, Ngāruahine, Ngāti Koata, Ngāti Tama, Sāmoa Elena Rei’s creative practice sits within the realm of Te Whare Pora, weaving together customary and contemporary processes of raranga, whatu muka and tukutuku. Interlaced throughout her works are collective dreams, moments of remembering and profound experiences with the materials she uses. Much of Elena’s practice is intuitive, emulating the ways of her tūpuna and drawing from a visual language that has been woven through time. Her works reimage and make familiar our inherent connection to ngā atua wāhine, through themes of aroha, grief, whakapapa and reconnection. Elena studied design and textiles at Massey University, where she gained early insights into practices within Te Whare Pora. A formative experience during this time was learning tukutuku under the guidance of Kohai Grace during classes at Whitireia, an experience that continues to inform her practice today.