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Depiction of suburb’s history

Joel MacManus

When artist Sheyne Tuffery planned the Wallace St Mural, his aim was to depict the historical importance of Mount Cook.

The hill was a strategically located pa site, a major garden for kumara and aruhe (fern root), and located near to the former Basin Lake, a source of kai moana.

‘‘It was an amazing food area for local iwi, so that was the thing I was trying to put into the composition. You’ve got fish running down the bottom, and then the kumara in between the tōtara trees, which was a dominant tree of Mount Cook, though you only see a few around now.’’

Tuffery made his name in the art world as a printmaker, mostly woodblock prints mixed media paintings, but the switch to large-scale murals felt natural.

‘‘Design-wise, printmaking and mural making are quite similar,’’ he says. ‘‘It’s kind of the same because you want the images to look good from afar, as well as up close.’’

A local Mount Cook resident, he made his first foray into street art after growing sick of vandalism and tagging in the area.

He started with a successful proposal to the council to paint a smaller mural on Hopper St, then followed it up with a more ambitious push to repaint the Wallace St retaining wall.

Both murals feature Tuffery’s distinctive black background.

‘‘Using black as a colour for murals is something I really like. I’ve done it a few times now – if someone wants a mural now, they’re going to get it that way,’’ he says with a laugh.

‘‘The whole black thing is a real Renaissance painting technique where they always start with black, and as you move up you make things brighter.

‘‘It is a really nice way to work.’’

He completed most of the work during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown at level 3. The street also happened to be closed for pipe repairs, giving him a rare opportunity to work uninterrupted.

‘‘The street was blocked off, so there were a lot of locals out on the street all the time kicking a ball around, and they just loved seeing it progress.’’

The painting was supported by his friend and fellow artist Tracy Keith, and several students from Victoria University of Wellington.

The mural is now the largest in Wellington and has been up for almost two years.

‘‘I like driving past it. It’s not on my way when I’m going to the studio, but sometimes I just drive past that way. And it looks so good at night as well with the street lights.’’

Te Karanga Auaha Te Karanga Auaha

en-nz

2022-01-28T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-01-28T08:00:00.0000000Z

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