Find out how flagpoles, military memorials, historic Māori architecture and whakairo (carving) are inspiration for artworks that tell the histories and stories of Waikato and Taranaki iwi.

We consider:

- How the arrival of the Pākehā impacted iwi and whenua?

- How the art helps us look at our local area and its history from a Māori point of view.

In the Learning Centre we focus on the role flags and banners have in history and create our own banners to represent and communicate what is important to us.

The exhibition uses sculpture and film as a way to learn about historic locations of iwi conflict and cooperation and the story of colonisation by Pākehā.

During the exhibition tour we consider:

- How is our history remembered and passed on? Whose history is remembered and why?

- How the arrival of Pākehā impacted iwi and whenua?

- How the artworks help us look at our local area and its history from a Māori point of view.

- How competition for natural resources helped form history and impacted the environment.

- Family stories as a way to understand the past and the history of colonialisation.

- Historic Māori structures and techniques and features of whakairo (carving), in particular Taranaki carving style.

In the Learning Centre we construct and ‘carve’ a group sculpture that questions how local place street names are designated.

If time allows (or back at school) students take the point of view of a colonial settler, tangata whenua or soldier and describe in a letter what living in Taranaki in the 1800s was like.

Add on options for a full day experience:

Te hīkoi o nehe ra / Historic walk 

Make the most of your visit and bring history to life! Meet an educator and take a guided historic walk to Pukaka (Marsland Hill) and St Mary’s churchyard prior to experiencing this exhibition. Combine with a trip to Puke Ariki Museum to complete the day.

To help with at school planning, a teacher resource kit including background research material from the exhibition and relevant links is available via Google Slides.

At school ideas include:

- Research the history of your area including the story behind the name of your street / school / suburb / town 

- Develop alternative names for your area that show another history rather than the one that your street names depict. 

- Write your ‘alternative’ address on your sculpture letterbox.

- Find out what are the traditional Māori equivalents of a letter box? 

- School or class Mini Film festival. Make videos that tells stories of their local area from varying points of view.

Dance in the Gallery inspired by Len Lye’s kinetic sculptures and experimental movie Rainbow Dance. Len Lye Tangibles: 1959-1961 and Len Lye: Sky Snakes exhibitions are perfect for body awareness, creativity and language development. We use ribbons individually and in groups, to build a vocabulary of moves and words on a theme of water. In the Learning Centre we add te Reo Māori and invent moves that express the various forms of wai (water) based on the WharehokaSmith: Kūreitanga-II-IV mural.

BYO your class ipad or phone to photograph students in action.

At school:
Rework your dance moves to tell a story
Create an artwork that shows your dance
How do things move? Rework your dance to tell a story about everyday movements using poi e.g. doing the laundry
Write a movement poem
Find out about the science of rainbows

What can we learn from Len Lye?

Experience the multi-sensory exhibitions through interactive activities adaptable to your students’ learning needs and level. Find out how Len Lye came up with ideas and why his art is special. Then create your own Len Lye-inspired artwork.

See Len Lye: Tangibles: 1959 - 1961 for exhibition information.
See Len Lye: Sky Snakes for exhibition information.

Find out more about the world of Len Lye.

Combine science and art to construct sculptures that move, tingle and shimmer inspired Len Lye.

How did Len Lye use science and innovation to make his art?
We learn about Len Lye’s ‘number 8 wire’ approach to problem solving, including any artist’s first problem – how to get a good idea?

Students use problem solving skills to create a sculpture that moves and stands within a group model for an outdoor public theme park.

See Len Lye: Tangibles: 1959-1961 and Len Lye: Sky Snakes for exhibition information.

At school:
Find out about the world of Len Lye here.

How did old school animation work? What makes Len Lye’s films still cool today?

We go to the flicks to discover how image, movement and sound are combined to create an illusion. Students analyse animation techniques and use gallery zoetropes (animation viewing devices) to create their own moving image.

See Len Lye Tangibles: 1959-1961 and Len Lye: Sky Snakes for exhibition information.

BYO your class video camera, phone or ipad to record students’ animations.

At school:
Google Slide: Len Lye Style Flip Book

Click below to view Len Lye films online:
Tusalava
A Colour Box
The Birth of a Robot
Free Radicals

Films supplied by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision. Please respect the integrity of Len Lye’s artwork by not copying his films.

Download the Len Lye: Animation Resource

A compilation DVD entitled Colour Box: 19 Films by Len Lye is available from the Govett-Brewster Shop