Page 31 - IB July 2020

Design through a Pacific lens Vanuatu

When it comes to selecting careers and “Another reason I chose AUT was for and the Spatial Design Year 3 Studio.
university courses, family involvement the social environment on campus and “This opportunity has really opened
brings the right motivation for Sapati the Fale Niu (Pacific Island Student As- up my mind to the tensions and scope
Mossiah Avei Fina’i. sociation) and Office of Pacific Advance- of what art can really be and what it
“A big factor for wanting to design and ment support, the cultural belonging means to people in the way they feel and
create was my family. Coming from a big aspect of study was something I wanted react or engage. Speaking Surfaces is so
tight knit family meant I had a lot of peo- for myself. The reason I chose to STAY at multi-purpose and diverse as it explores
ple to turn to, so I wanted to reflect this AUT was because of the people I met and different practices and techniques while
support and love for family in my work. the lecturers who invested time into my protecting traditional ideas and project-
Architecturally, family is represented work and ideas.” ing them in a modern and contemporary
in sacred places like Fale Pasifika and way.
Marae and that’s why I wanted to study Speaking surfaces “It has opened doors to opportunities
and explore spatial design from a Polyne- Learning to trust his instincts has been and networking with experts in the field
sian lens.” a big part of Fina’i’s academic journey. and I’ve been able to share my voice and
When Fina’i says he has a big family, he “Every single project or piece of work work in the place I’ve been lucky to learn
means it. The 23-year-old of Sāmoan, Eu- that I’ve done hasn’t had the same or in.”
ropean and Chinese descent is one of 15 originally anticipated outcome, but been
siblings and has always been surrounded more than what I expected.” And it What the future holds Tailors are sewing late into the night to meet the demand for celebratory clothing in Vanuatu’s
Photo: Len Garae
national colours
in the arts, from his father and uncles’ helped him achieve a milestone of being Fina’i is now working for the Office of
family band to his own garage band and involved in the Speaking Surfaces exhi- Pacific Advancement at AUT, with a de-
a love of drawing, sculpture and graphics bition, a collaboration and experimental sire to break down some more barriers CELEBRATING 40 YEARS
throughout his schooling. design project between St Paul St Gallery for the Pacific community.
A talented drummer, Fina’i has also “My ultimate goal in life is to give back
been creating the drum beats for AUT’s and share my work with others. I hope to By Len Garae nodding and body-swaying songs to make music and sing their
2020 Pacific Language Video Series, using inspire other budding creatives to pursue
a traditional Samoan fala. their goals and use their artistic ‘flare’ to hearts out to celebrate Freedom Day come 30th.
express themselves. Eventually I’d like to Red, Green, Yellow and Black are the four colours that While shops are making money selling their fabrics in the
Building a career build a centre for creators to explore, de- distinguish the flag of the Republic of Vanuatu from other four colours, tailors are sewing late into the night to sell their
He discovered a passion for the thought velop and finetune their craft in whatever national colours. dresses, shirts and shorts and t-shirts to meet the increasing
process and design/conceptual stages of mediums they choose and help contribute Red symbolises blood that binds the human race. demand of the populace.
building and making—which led him to to their communities and a new evolution Green represents the fertile greenery of the islands. Chairman of the Independence Anniversary Committee,
AUT’s Bachelor of Design. “I often won- of design in Aotearoa and the Pacific.” Yellow stands for Christianity - the light that was shone by Fred Samuel says that celebrations nationwide will be organ-
dered how buildings and spaces went Further education is also appealing to the pioneer missionaries who braved the once dark islands to ised with a difference, taking into consideration COVID-19
from something intangible like a thought/ Fina’i, who is considering adding a Mas- bind the people for Christ. guidelines.
vision to something tangible to touch, ters to his impressive resume - and he’s Black confirms the black volcanic soil that nourishes the However, the beauty of it all is that Vanuatu is free of the
hear and see. So my curiosity led me to unequivocal in his advice to those still de-
the space I’m in now where I’ve been able ciding how to structure their tertiary fu- land to provide organic food for the inhabitants. virus and its social distancing won’t take away from the cel-
to speak my own thoughts into existence ture - no matter what field they focus on. Vanuatu this month celebrates its 40th Independence An- ebratory spirit from the people beginning in the Torres Group
and draw on inspiration from my Samo- “Be patient and carry your authen- niversary from Britain and France, the colonial rulers that in the North to Aneityum in the South.
an heritage and life experiences, all while ticity wherever you go. Trust yourself jointly administered the 83 islands for 74 years from 1906 Already shops in all urban centres are urged to brighten
learning and connecting with others. “ and be kind.” until midnight of July 29th, 1980. their business houses with fresh paint to reflect the historic
Finding the right course took time. On that historical night, as a young reporter with an event.
Fina’i knew he wanted to study architec- AUT Spatial Design ancient camera taking black and white pictures, I could not In Port Vila, the historical Independence Stand which has
ture but was unsure in what capacity. Graduate, understand why some civil servants were wiping tears from been there since the Vanuatu Flag was hoisted on Inde-
“The Spatial Design major at AUT was Mossiah Fina’i their eyes as the British flag was lowered for the last time at pendence Day on July 30th of 1980, is being enlarged and
the best fit for me because I wanted to
try my hand at different types of prac- midnight to a melancholy tune from a lone bugle blown by a modernised to accommodate more guests and spectators.
tises and with their range of minoring police man in British police uniform. The field where British civil servants in their white uniforms
choices I was able to do this. To be honest, I could not understand what the sadness was (complete with white socks) used to play cricket on Saturdays
“I chose digital fabrication all about because as far as I was concerned, I could not wait during the colonial era, is now called Independence Park.
as my minor where I learnt to breathe, feel and live my long awaited first-ever freedom! This is where thousands of people will gather to take part in
a lot more technologi- The feeling was unique. Indeed one had to be there to expe- the official ceremonies. Similar events will take place in the
cal skills and software rience it to know what I am talking about. provincial capitals of Torba Province in the North, Sanma Prov-
development tech- Forty years later this time on July 30, all 230,000 inhabit- ince, Penama Province, Malampa Province, and Tafea Province
niques, before then, ants of the archipelago are expected to connect on the same in the South.
most of my art was
hand sketching joyous day dressed in the four national colours. What a spec- The countdown is on.
and using hard/ tacular sight to admire on that day!
physical materi- Already string band and reggae artists are fine tuning their editor@islandsbusiness.com
als for models. guitars and finalising the words into toe-tapping and head-

Islands Business, July 2020 31