Warren Maxwell - 'Kia Tūhono ki te Taiao'

This exhibition ran from 16th June to 4th August, 2022

Warren Maxwell (Ngāi Tuhoe, Ngāti Rakaipaaka, Ngāti Tūkairangi, Scottish, English, Scandinavian) is a familiar name in New Zealand music. As a founding member of Trinity Roots, Fat Freddy’s Drop and Little Bushman, he has brought his very personal songwriting style and delivery to countless people across the motu for over two decades.

In recent years Maxwell has turned to instrument making and sound installation as a mode to present his ideas. Kia Tūhono ki te Taiao - 'Re-connecting to the Natural World' featured several of Maxwell's sculptural works.

Pounui Harp
Pounui Harp is a large paewai (driftwood) that Maxwell procured from Pounui lagoon at the southern end of Lake Wairarapa. Like his other driftwood sculptures, Pounui Harp has been adorned with strings and amplified with contact mics. The audience is invited to interact with the piece. Maxwell will be performing Pounui Harp at a special event, 'Storytelling through Waiata and Sound' to mark the end of the exhibition on 4th August.

Melodies from Mountains
"These pieces are the scores of ‘Remutaka’ and ‘Tararua’ mountain ranges where I live. These works originated from a korero with a kaumatua when touring during the 90’s with N.Z Reggae funk band ‘Southside of Bombay’. I was listening to him talking about the ‘old people’ from Whanganui region and he mentioned that some melodies were inspired by the contour of the nearby mountains. I have since learned that Te Taiao (Natural World), events and Māori Cosmology were hugely influential on early Māori composition and performance."

Songs Beneath the Ice
Maxwell will present a mixed media piece from his trip to Antartica in 2016, including field recordings from under the Ross Sea ice sheet.

Warren Maxwell has been a professional musician and composer for over two decades. He is an Associate Professor at Massey University in Composition and Performance and in 2016 was inducted into the Institute’s prestigious ‘Hall of Fame’. Maxwell has composed for film and television (notably in recent times for the 2021 film adaptation of Patricia Grace’s novel, Cousins), and performed at numerous Festivals Internationally.