Cultural Collaboration Comes to Northland
“Northland has long been known as the birthplace of Aotearoa New Zealand and is home to a wealth of culture, art, and history.”
As coloured skirts swirl, fans snap, and voices rise and fall in multiple languages and accents flavouring the air around the Geoff Wilson Gallery on NorthTec’s Raumanga Campus, it’s easy to agree with the words of Mr. Chen Shijie, the Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Auckland.
It’s the opening ceremony for the “Soaring Through the Sky” exhibit, the first-ever collaboration between the Dunhuang Academy, the China Cultural Centre in Auckland (CCA), and NorthTec, Northland's oldest and largest Polytechnic, and the general atmosphere is one of acceptance and appreciation.
As the ceremony begins, Te Amorangi of NorthTec Taipari Munro opens with formal karakia and waiata, welcoming locals, staff, and guests from Auckland and China alike while paying respects to those who have come before.
It’s an apt sentiment, considering that some of the art displayed in the exhibit is hundreds of years old and specifically selected to represent aspects of the Dunhuang culture, which has endured for nearly two thousand years.
After Matua Taipari’s welcome, speeches were given by Mr. Chen Shijie, Mayor Vince Cocurullo, and NorthTec’s executive director, Toa Faneva.
“Māori culture and art, including karakia, tāmoko, and waiata speaks to the same passion and spirituality as the Dunhuang culture,” advises Mr Chen Shijie. “I hope we can embrace the exchange of culture and art as a bridge between our two countries and peoples. Relationships between China and New Zealand are flourishing and it’s good to see many New Zealanders starting to embrace Chinese culture, traditions, holidays, and food. This exhibit is another example of that.”
That embracing of culture was seen clearly as the speeches were followed by not one, but two performances by students from Onerahi Primary School. The first is a rendition of the traditional Chinese dance called the Peacock Dance, and the second a Kung Fu-based fan dance.
The dances were separated by a performance from internationally acclaimed, Chinese-born Baritone Nan Zhou who had taken time out from his busy schedule in Auckland to attend the event. Mr. Nan Zhou not only performed a song from his own culture, but he also gave guests a short taster of his rendition of a traditional Māori waiata ‘Pōkarekare Ana’, which he will be performing along with other Chinese and New Zealand musicians at the upcoming “Voices of our Ancestors” concert in Auckland.
“This exhibition is an important occasion for all of us in Tai Tokerau and in China,” says Mr Toa Faneva in his own speech. “We are fortunate to be given access to this exhibition and these taonga, some of which are hundreds of years old. Dunhuang is not only a treasure of China but of the world.”
The exhibit features specifically collected murals, sculptures, and cave models that showcase Dunhuang’s unique cultural and artistic heritage which embodies the spirit of the Silk Road and reflects its Buddhist influence.
The exhibit is free to enter and will be open from Tuesday-Friday, 10 am- 2 pm each week for the next 6 weeks, finishing the 15th of May.
Mayor Cocurullo praised the exhibit and declared it the first in what would hopefully be a prosperous relationship which offered “a profound opportunity for more cultural exchange between China and Northland.”
“There are many similarities between our cultures,” advises Mr Faneva. “We like good food, good music, and work hard to preserve and protect our culture and art.”
Many a good relationship has been built on less, and NorthTec hopes to continue to build on the relationships begun with this initial collaboration.
