Massey Residency - Electric Siva

Electric Siva
Digital Deconstruction of Pacific Pattern

This project explores the evolution of Pacific visual language through digital media, sculpture, and print. Drawing from historic Siapo (Tapa) cloth patterns in the collections of Te Papa and Auckland Museum, I digitally dissect and reconstruct these designs, creating animations, large-scale prints, and sculptural wall installations. Electric Siva reflects on how Pacific culture is often frozen in time within museum contexts—challenging these static presentations by reimagining traditional patterns as dynamic, evolving forms that respond to urban and digital environments.

When: July – October 2014
Where: Massey University, Wellington
Exhibition Opening: October 3, 2014
Residency: COCA Artist in Residence

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During my three-month residency at Massey University’s COCO (Centre of Contemporary Arts) in 2014, I, along with a team of technicians, explored the deconstruction of traditional tapa (siapo) patterns through various digital techniques. We began by scanning tapa cloth designs and then used software to dislocate and vary the structural patterns. This process involved breaking down the scanned images into code, which we then reformatted into digital photographs and wall sculptures. Using laser etching and CNC routing technologies, we transformed these digital matrices into physical sculptural forms, pushing the boundaries between traditional Pacific textiles and contemporary digital fabrication methods.