Mele o Nā Kaukani Wai (Song of a Thousand Waters)
2018
- Medium
- mulberry papers, plant dyes, mineral pigments, gouache, clay (beads), cotton thread, metallic thread
- Measurements
- 212.5 × 346.0 × 28.0 cm (variable) (installed)
- Place/s of Execution
- Portland, Oregon, United States
- Accession Number
- 2022.826
- Department
- International Sculpture
- Credit Line
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased NGV Foundation, 2022
© Lehuauakea - Gallery location
- Not on display
- About this work
-
Mele O Nā Kaukani Wai is a mixed-media, wall-based installation that speaks to the importance of integrating Indigenous traditional ecological knowledge and Western science in the fight against global environmental crises. Lehuauakea uses traditional ʻohe kāpala (carved bamboo printing tools) to print patterns that tell stories through intergenerational symbolism. The patterns use the metaphor of the mixing of freshwater and saltwater, where the river meets the sea to portray this complex issue. The work envisions a more ecologically equitable collective future through a contemporary Native Hawaiian lens.