#157. Mauka Makai, 3′ x 20′ x 4″

Mauka Makai
Ceramic wall installation for the lobby of the Kona Village Resort by Rosewood, on Hawaiʻi Island.

Inspiration
Situated in the ahupua’a of Ka’ūpūlehu on Hawai’i Island, this work is inspired by visual, geographic, and cultural elements from this extraordinary site. To the north, the Hualālai Volcano dominates the landscape, and to the south, the Haleakalā Volcano rises above the ocean mists. At the shoreline, the black lava abruptly meets the white coral at the interchange between mountain and ocean. Also at the site are the Ka’ūpūlehu ki’i pohaku (petroglyphs), featuring unique carvings which suggest that this area was once a school for Polynesian celestial navigation, which was taught using the carved Kōnane tables (the traditional game of Kōnane was played using small pieces of black lava and white coral which were placed in carved depressions on the lava). All of these elements inspired and guided the creation of this sculpture.

Materials and Construction
This ceramic sculpture is made up of 63 hand-built pieces. The textures and patterns were created with materials from the surrounding area; a lava rock was used to create the the mountain texture, and wooden tools were carved from local wood for the different patterns. The surfaces have been colored with Iron and Manganese oxides. These two minerals, in different concentrations, are what gives lava its distinctive black and red hues.