Drum\/Sing (1985), a visually striking five-minute short by film-maker Gregor Nicholas, will also be shown.<\/p>\n
Closing the evening is Te H\u0101 o te Ao (2026), an 18-minute documentary directed by Simon Ogston following the creation and installation of artist Chris Booth\u2019s Te Haa o Te Ao sculpture.<\/p>\n
The sculpture on the corner of SH10 in Kerikeri stands almost 20 metres tall and weighs more than 30 tonnes.<\/p>\n
Ogston said the project began after he moved to Kerikeri from Auckland, shortly before the Covid-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was an interesting engineering challenge, and it was also about a very important wider issue, that being climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ogston filmed the project between 2020 and 2022 in his spare time, documenting key moments in the sculpture\u2019s construction. <\/p>\n
The self-funded project was later put on hold while he worked on feature film Kaikohe: Blood & Fire, about a mixed martial arts fight team that operates out of a Kaikohe community gym. The film featured in last year\u2019s International Film Festival and screened in cinemas around Northland. After that, he returned to complete Te H\u0101 o te Ao.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis year Chris and I got together and filmed a little ending for the film. It was nice to have that break and to kind of rediscover the footage and I was quite pleasantly surprised with what I had. So, it\u2019s actually been six years in the making.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said working with Booth was a pleasure and people would appreciate the sculpture more with the context provided by the film.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like it\u2019s an interesting look at what was an interesting and challenging process for Chris and his team and I also wanted it to tell a story about climate change without making a film about climate change per se.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I\u2019ve tried to root the story in the details of an interesting engineering project but that it also touches on a wider and very important issue.\u201d<\/p>\n
Booth said while many recognised the sculpture, not everyone understood the message behind it and he hoped the documentary would encourage people to learn more about the work and ideas behind it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to think people will notice it and perhaps go and read the signboard at the base of the sculpture or research it further.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Kerikeri-born artist said the concept emerged after discussions with Ng\u0101ti R\u0113hia about creating a landmark entranceway to the town.<\/p>\n
Learning about the area\u2019s history, including the significance of nearby P\u014dkaka Hill as a site from which messages were relayed across the Taiamai Plains, prompted him to consider the challenges facing modern society.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt made me immediately realise that the biggest battle we\u2019re facing at the moment is climate change. That was what inspired the sculpture.\u201d<\/p>\n
Booth said the sculpture\u2019s suspended stones were inspired by traditional poi, which were originally used for purposes beyond performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach one of those stones is a poi, and collectively they\u2019re poised above the ground to form a statement that the biggest battle we\u2019re facing is climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said he hoped the work would continue to spark curiosity, particularly among young people.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want the children to ask the questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
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