When Lisa Reihana constructed an enormous octopus based on a Māori creation story, she never intended it to leave its home in New Zealand.
Now, in its Australian debut, the inflatable sculpture will sit nestled in the waters of Kangaroo Bay as part of Ten Days on the Island art festival's sprawling state-wide program.
"I didn't imagine her travelling," Reihana said.
"By and large a lot of my work is presented in art galleries but what I like about the opportunity of taking something into the public realm is it's for anybody and everybody."
Measuring 15 metres in diameter, Te Wheke-a-Muturangi — The Adversary, was originally commissioned as part of last year's Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts.
The sculpture is inspired by the story of Kupe, a Polynesian sailor who encounters and kills the giant female octopus Te Wheke near Wellington while on a journey to discover Aotearoa New Zealand.
"For me it was trying to make a tribal connection to that particular area, but also to bring focus to women's stories," Reihana said.
The multidisciplinary Māori artist worked with a team including a 3D designer, a pattern maker, and canvas workers to bring the enormous inflatable sculpture to life.
Made up of 1,000 pattern pieces that are sewn together, Te Wheke was then inflated and handpainted in maze-like lines in a nod to traditional Māori weaving patterns.
Each design decision was considered — her vivid reds and oranges a reflection of the blood spilled when she was killed; her inflatable body a way of situating her in the water; her size based on traditional oral histories of the original octopus.
"I wanted her to feel big enough that when people encounter her, she instils a sense of awe," Reihana said.
"It's really amazing to think of these incredible creatures and animals of the sea and just how incredibly beautiful they are.
" Hopefully it evokes a sense of wonder," she said.
A 'pulse point' for a state-wide celebration
The festival's artistic director Lindy Hume said the installation would be one of many "pulse points" for the event, which will have hubs in Hobart, Launceston and Ulverstone and feature a diverse mix of performance, installation, and music — many free for the public.
Hume is liberal in her praise for the award-winning artist, who she has eyed as a festival contributor since 2019.
"Lisa Reihana is an artist I'm a huge fan of," she said.
"She represents Māori gods and goddesses in such an incredibly cinematic way."
Hume said she hoped the installation invited participation, from debates to social media posts.
"The thing that festivals really want to do is turn art making inside out and sort of show it and gather all these ideas together in one place … it's very democratic and that's what a festival needs to be.
"Placing a Māori artwork on palawa country, under kunanyi Mt Wellington, is a really important conversation to have about mythologies that sit side-by-side with each other.
"So, it's kind of this extraordinary talking point," she said.
After two decades working with festivals and three years as artistic director of Ten Days on the Island, this year will be Hume's last.
Her last program has a strong focus on contemporary indigenous cultures, weaving in themes of water and mythology but she says the festival's message has always been the same.
"I think what we want to do overall is bring people together to share our extraordinary stories and joys of being human and what it is to be human," Hume said.
"Let's not forget that the arts are here as a meeting place — a place for community."
