The participatory art project Rope/Walk Photo: Kim Thomas
Dunedin artist Kari Morseth Photo: Justin Spiers
Dunedin artist Kari Morseth is weaving harakeke history back into the city's daily life.
The Rope/Walk community art project is centred around the South Dunedin's Rope Walk Building where Morseth has so far woven 68 metres of harakeke rope by hand, with the help of many volunteers.
"And it is literally making a rope that is the length of the historic Rope Walk Building here in Dunedin," Morseth said.
"With a focus on many hands doing it with the idea of not only learning a skill but while you're doing it sharing stories and you know the idea of the walk is also slowing down and taking time to make things. There's obviously an environmental sustainability message behind there too."
Rope/Walk uses a two twine hand-making technique and Morseth said because the rope is made of harakeke flax it carries huge cultural and historic significance.
'This amazing history came out of it. Unions arose out of the flax mill industry. There was hundreds of mills up and down the country and it was such dangerous work that unions developed out of it."
Morseth says flax milling history echoes colonialism in Aotearoa New Zealand in our country as well.
Dunedin artist Kari Morseth's Rope/Walk art project Photo: Justin Spiers
Morseth acknowledges harakeke is taonga for Maori as tangata whenua. She trained with Te Wananga o Aotearoa to learn raranga traditional Maori with a family in Waitate, a well-known weaving whanau.
"And the way it was commercialised, it was colonised as well as a plant I guess. Everything - the way it was harvested and treated was almost pretty much opposite to the way and the reverence with which Maori treated this precious fibre."
There is still one working museum near Riverton, where Morseth says. the machine's "literally scream as they are yanking the fibre through."
Dunedin artist Kari Morseth's Rope/Walk art project Photo: Justin Spiers
Morseth conceived of the idea for Rope/Walk a few years ago while participating in a harakeke weaving wananga workshop. It coincided with her discovery of the distinctive Donaghy's Rope Walk Building in South Dunedin.
"It's 300 metres long and it's low, a very low building. And it's alongside the Bathgate Park. It's almost white, so it's this long strip of white against this green manicured lawn so it's visually quite arresting."
