Hospital wall the start of a large murals project

August 10th, 2012
[by Paul Johnson, youth worker, Get Safe Motueka]

During the July school holidays myself and Harald Laarakker, the groundsman from the Jack Inglis Friendship Hospital in Motueka, organised a Youth Mural Project.

The mural was painted on a sculptural door which hangs in the dementia unit. The door is in their garden and is meant to create an impression for the patients that they are leaving for a walk, going somewhere.

I had enlisted the help of two successful ex-Motueka High School students, both of whom are pursuing careers in the creative arts, Tomas Richards and Gemma Proebst. They were our youth leaders and both incredible talents.

In addition I had approached the Motueka High School art department and asked for some students who would be willing to give up some days of their holidays to contribute to a community project. We added four budding artists from the school - Oliver Hayden, Orinoco Bryden, Stella Bogdanoff and Jess Thompson.

Two Mondays were spent on the painting and the results were spell binding. Thomas and Jess had come up with the concepts. Both images were designed to look as if you were looking through something, one side an iron gate with a pathway leading toward the mountains, the other side looking through a porthole on a boat.

The way the door is hung is with our mountains behind the pathway scene (looking to the west) and the coast the direction of the porthole scene (looking east). Also the coast scene interacts with a fishing net hung on an adjacent wall and also port and starboard lights on the frame of the door.

The experience was humbling for both me and Harald as we mixed paints for these young artists. We were blown away by their efforts and excited and inspired to do more mural projects. Harald has experience in working with street kids in Holland and has done mural projects there.

Since this project had some exposure in our local papers and I expressed an interest in doing many more murals in our town, a lot of interest has been sparked and the Vision Motueka group are taking up the idea and planning for Motueka to become a mural town - "One Wall at a Time".

The vision is to include and involve all sectors of the community (my focus will be with young people). The images will incorporate the uniqueness of our community and surrounding areas by using iconic natural sites and buildings incorporated into the murals.

Sites could incude Split Apple Rock, the Riwaka Resurgence, Mt Arthur, and the Abel Tasman and Kahurangi National Parks. Representations of the past such as tobacco growing and colonial times, local myths and legends and Maori cultural designs specific to the region - all these could be included.

So watch this space. Building on the ideas from the "Pride of Place" work which has already been done and the work of other local mural enthusiasts such as Linda Woodgate from Our Town Motueka, we plan to re-invigorate our town (voted "Best town in New Zealand" by Keep New Zealand Beautiful) and inspire our people and visitors with wonderful works of art on our walls.

Comment by Harald:
[Posted 11 August 2012]

I really enjoyed reading this article. It gives me a sense of cultural liveliness in Motueka! Something this Town needs! Lets Go4it! I'm in!

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