Net-maker hopes to catch river’s flow
Resident artist delights in returning to his roots
Jeweller and weaver, Matthew McIntyre Wilson (Taranaki, Nga¯ Ma¯ hanga and T¯ıtahi), is the current Tylee Cottage artist in residence.
The Wellington-based artist relates to the Whanganui and Whakapapa rivers from
Ka¯ kahi where his mother Sara McIntyre lives, and where his grandfather, painter Peter McIntyre, also spent a great deal of time
“[The whakapapa] is very much a mountain river — rapids pool, then once it meets the Whanganui river it does slow down a bit, but there are still fast rapids and pools. You can wade across it in places and can see the bottom of it. I have always wanted to do the trip down the Whanganui River so hopefully I’ll get the chance to do that.”
McIntyre’s residency connects with the Sarjeant Gallery collection through a landscape painting of his grandfather’s of the Whanganui River between
Ka¯ kahi and Taumarunui. His interest in net-making and h¯ınaki — fish-trap devices that he has been making since 2006 — also connect with the river, the places through which it passes and tangata whenua who fished the waters.
“I whakapapa to Pu¯ niho Pa¯ in Taranaki, Ka¯ kahi is my tu¯ rangawaewae. I spent many years at the river in Ka¯ kahi with family, sharing walks, picnics and trout fishing. Being of Ma¯ ori and Pa¯ keha¯ descent, I see the residency as an opportunity to strengthen links between my tu¯ ranagawaewae and my Taranakitanga.”
McIntyre’s Tylee Cottage residency project will focus on the river and the differences in the making of fishing devices between Ka¯ kahi and the river mouth, where it meets the sea in Whanganui.
“I haven’t [made nets and h¯ınaki] for a while so I’m using this as a chance to do more research. The Whanganui museum has really beautiful examples of h¯ınaki and some of the nets on display so that’s always a good place to start.”
He says a bag net in the Whanganui museum is a style of net particular to the river.
“A really nice shape with a supplejack hoop at the narrow end. The net is made out of harakeke and te ko¯ ka¯ [cabbage tree] leaves that look like they are tied onto something else. It’s a much stronger fibre than the harakeke. I’m interested to find out what that net did. ”
Books, museum collections and a local weaver are so far his chief sources of research material. He says there is also a good photographic record from the 1920s and James McDonald’s trip up the river with Elsdon Best, with photos of h¯ınaki, eeling and of the region.
“The descriptions and stills are a rich source of information.”
He says information still exists among pockets of people and has made contact with weaver Maehe Ranginui who has whakapapa links to A¯ tene Marae.
“His koro, his grandfather, taught him h¯ınaki making in the old way with the traditional materials so that is a good start. Te Papa in Wellington also has some good examples of h¯ınaki from up this way. I will be working with harakeke for the nets; for the h¯ınaki, Maehe has made them out of roots of the kiekie vine and I’ve not done that before so I’m interested to have a go at doing that.
“It’s quite a process to harvest the roots and split them. When the kiekie climbs a tree it puts down aerial roots. In Wellington kiekie roots don’t get very long because of the wind so I may go into the bush to gather some materials here.”
McIntyre’s practice as a jeweller of weaving in copper, silver and now gold originated from an interest in the form and pattern of raranga whakairo. Combined with his formal training as a jeweller, he produces finely woven kete, arm bands, ka¯ kahu and ta¯ tua.
“The variation of pattern in my work is a reflection of a continuing investigation and exploration of the whakapapa of weaving”.
Weaving and knotting plant materials will be his focus for the residency and also feed into the master of fine arts he is doing at Massey University. His post-Tylee residency exhibition at the Sarjeant will include large pieces from his research into net making and h¯ınaki.
McIntyre has exhibited extensively through New Zealand and overseas and his work is in museum collections including Te Papa Tongarewa/ Museum of New Zealand.
I haven’t [made nets and h¯ınaki] for a while so I’m using this as a chance to do more
research.