Five Kuranui students contributed to this year’s Giant Kimono Project, which was to be a significant feature of the seventh Wellington Japan Festival at the TSB Arena this Saturday. Unfortunately, the festival was cancelled last minute, when the region went into Alert Level 2.

Year 11 students Freya Smith, Maya Dias, Lottie Stevens, Monet Dignan and Eva Rose spent the first few weeks of their new school year designing and painting a panel for two 10.5m long, one-sided kimonos.  The panels were to be hung from the two end walls of the TSB Arena during the festival.

The one-day festival is organised by the Wellington Japan Festival in partnership with Asia New Zealand Foundation. Schools from across the Wellington region have been asked to decorate the panels in the theme of ‘Friendship between New Zealand and Japan’.

Each Kimono consists of 10 calico panels, six measuring 3.5 x 3 metres and four of the panels making up the 3x3 metres sleeves. After the Festival the kimonos will be kept for display in future years.

Team Leader for Visual Arts, Kirsten Price was delighted in the way the students interpreted the theme of the Festival. “They really thought about the cultural connections between New Zealand and Japan, and you can see that in the way they have managed to combine the Japanese dragon with the Taniwha and the Japanese patterns with the koru.”

Price also praised the students’ diligent teamwork “The girls worked really well together, given that the project was on such a large scale,” said Price. “They don’t normally get the chance to be involved with this type of artwork, and especially a piece that was to be viewed by so many people.”

The Giant Kimono will now be on display when the festival is rescheduled next year.

Written by Catherine Rossiter-Stead. Article added: Monday 08 March 2021