Description:

Kaupapa:
Te ihi (essence) of this special edition is the narrative of whakapapa, connection and genealogy between humans and all ecosystems as a holistic and integrated system. The continuum and importance of the separation of Ranginui and Papatūānuku and the varying stages of light being released into the world, ko tēnei tīmatanga o Te Ao (in the beginning) are introduced as the underlying concept.

Threaded Ed.21 is conceptually underpinned by a Te Ao Māori viewpoint with cultural and collaborative frameworks that adhere to tikanga Māori (Māori customary practices) and mātauranga Māori kawa (Māori knowledge and protocol).

Respect for, and acknowledgement of who and what has come before us, is the foundation of all mātauranga (knowledge) within Te Ao Māori. With this in mind, Threaded Ed.21 employs traditional practices such as karakia, waiata and ancestral knowledge to guide us. Karakia book-ends each issue to evoke vocal image snapshots in time, of each stage and each layer of the process between Te Kore, Te Pō and Te Ao Mārama.

Integral to this kaupapa is the role of collaboration and creative partnerships, through sharing and learning pūrākau (Māori legends, stories and narratives), seeking cultural advice and guidance from kaumātua and kuia (elders) and engaging experts in their respective fields we attempt to uphold kawa and tikanga when translating this whakaaro (thinking) into editorial and design practice.

Central to our creative methodology is the role of partnership and long-standing integral relationships with advisors and creatives to effect editorial practice and design outcomes. The guidance and engagement with kaumātua and kuia and other cultural advisors has enhanced our understanding of history and heritage. These relationships and learnings reset the kaupapa, and reshaped editorial principles to prioritise cultural concepts.

Initial thematic concepts grew out of collective responses to the physical, emotional, and spiritual impacts of COVID-19 pandemic. Invited manuhiri (practitioners) were asked to respond and reflect on how they creatively navigated and overcame the challenges of social separation and cultural disconnection.

The structure and navigational system of Threaded Ed. 21 is based on the waiata ‘Ko te Pū’ and incorporates visual, augmented, and sonic design queues to communicate the multi-layered beginning story.

Visual motifs and colour are an important signifier to communicate the metamorphosis of time and space, of the realm of Te Kore — which operates as the Z-fold cover — and binds, Te Pō and Te Ao Mārama connecting them metaphorically in two pukapuka. The dark shades of the cover sections transition into warm hues symbolising coming into being and the light beginning to break through.

Sonic artistry and AR animated vignettes were activated through printed motifs and incorporate hau (breath of life) into the printed page. Structurally, the AR pages acknowledge customary cultural protocols and dualities such as male/female, light/dark, above/below and seen/unseen. This approach combines the visual and the linguistic, the spatial and the temporal, sound, and virtual reality to graphically symbolise the many layers and dimensions of things unseen: the realm between being and non-being.