Threads of the Vā
Shania Vanisi
Pukotala, Ha‘ano Ha‘apai, Taunga & Neiafu Vava‘u, Tongatapu
Bindings of Resistance Within the Urban Vā of Ukutoia (Glen Innes)
Cosmograming (by Albert Refiti) reveals an Indigenous way of understanding how time, space, people, land, and community are interwoven within the fabric of urban life.
Bachelor of Design with Honours
Spatial Design
This project reclaims Epping Street in Ukutoia (Glen Innes), home to strong Māori and Moana Pacific communities, as a site of Indigenous resistance. Using Tā (time) and Vā (relational space), it explores how design can restore connection through ceremony, material traditions, and community relationships. Through lalava, vaka, fale, and cosmograms, the project offers a ‘third space’ that re-centres Indigenous presence, memory, and belonging within the urban landscape.
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