Weaving is a commonly used, broadly understood, metaphor in academic writing – for example how we weave ideas into curriculum, weaving assessment, weaving people together, teasing woven strands apart or how we weave theory through our writing. This workshop celebrates the Maori creative practice of weaving with flax – raranga – to explore different ways to think about how we harvest, prepare, create and present knowledge – in both written and un-written ‘texts’.
Workshop participants will learn how to harvest harakeke and prepare the fibres to make a small woven item that represents nga kete matauranga e toru (the 3 baskets of knowledge in traditional Maori stories). As we weave we will discuss how and where we ‘harvest’ our ideas for writing, what preparation is necessary and how these ideas are then presented in new forms as new knowledge. This workshop aims to offer a creative hands on space for participants to take home both a tangible woven item of their creation as well as another way of thinking about how, as writers, we produce and present knowledge.
Location: Waipapa Marae, 16 Wynard Street, City Campus
Date: From August 8, 2017 to September 20, 2017