Every Saturday in November, Muriwai locals are making mosaics out of pieces of homes wrecked during Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo: RNZ/Jessica Hopkins
Abe Dew has lived in Muriwai for 25 years, but after Cyclone Gabrielle his property was designated Category three and will be demolished.
In Muriwai, 68 properties have been deemed unliveable after January 2023 storms.
To make the best out of a bad situation, almost two years on from Cyclone Gabrielle, Dew and a group of volunteers are turning wrecked homes into an abstract sculpture.
Muriwai residents are using debris to commemorate the tragedy which wreaked havoc on Auckland's west coast. Photo: Supplied / Joss Hong
The unique art piece will use broken roofs, decks, fences, concrete, bricks, and bathroom and kitchen tiles to make five to seven sculptural columns.
"We wanted to create something which had a sense of ongoing connection for people who have left the community to feel like there's a part of their house still there," said Dew.
"Reusing bits and pieces of homes for the sculpture seemed like a lovely way for people to remember their connection to Muriwai."
He said the sculpture would reflect the community's resilience responding to extreme weather events.
"One of the distinguishing features of the Muriwai community is that everybody mucks in and helps everybody out.
"Part of the reason for wanting to create this artwork is for people to understand what happened here and the wide implications of climate change.
"Muriwai has focused people's minds on what could happen in the future and how we need to adapt," he said.
The art project is being done in collaboration with sculptor Jeff Thomson, whose work includes the Taihape Boot and the Auckland Zoo Elephant.
It was humbling to be involved in the community effort, he said.
"The small team from Muriwai - the artists and locals - quite a few of them lost their Category Three houses which are being demolished.
"But they have been absolutely amazing, their get-up-and go attitude and organisation has just been fantastic."
Jeff Thomson and other volunteers are working with deconstruction company, Trow Group, to trawl for materials.
People would be able to recognise parts of their former homes in the final artwork, he said.
Community members have also been creating mosaics out of deconstructed pieces to use in the sculpture.
Each Saturday in November locals are working on their designs at free mosaic workshops at Muriwai Surf Club.
Workshop leader Joss Hong from the Muriwai Artists Collective said the workshops are open to anyone from the community, even if they had to move away.
"I hope that by coming along to one of these workshops, it's also a restorative activity and a bringing together of the community that has been so traumatised by this event.
"Even if you weren't directly affected, it still affected you because Muriwai has changed forever."
As well as using the materials provided, she said people were bringing in their own significant items that were damaged.
Hong said it is a full circle moment to be holding the workshops at the surf club, where storm-affected residents took shelter.
The group hoped to have the sculpture completed in March next year, but said this depended on how quickly they could reach their fundraising goal.
They are already more than halfway to their target of $22,000 in donations.
