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Kereama Taepa's Digimaori collection of tees stem from customary Maori art and philosophy, technology and pop culture. He uses augmented reality to "connect the now with the past to present the beginning."

Taepa tells us more about his work as he prepares to bring it to life at the Miromoda Showcase at NZ Fashion Week on Friday.

Kereama Taepa's Digimaori collection of tees stem from customary Maori art and philosophy, technology and pop culture. He uses augmented reality to "connect the now with the past to present the beginning."

Taepa tells us more about his work as he prepares to bring it to life at the Miromoda Showcase at NZ Fashion Week on Friday.

The designs reference customary Maori weaving patterns created from a computer circuitry aesthetic. The tee shirt print converts to another image when viewed through a webcam (view a demo in the clip below).

He says augmented reality is freaky – it’s there yet is not there just like Maori philosophy – it is tangible but yet intangible.

During what hours of the day do you feel most inspired?

All hours – I keep my eyes open as you never know where the next concept can come from. Everything inspires me from tv to movies to the trip home from work listening to the radio. Mostly though I just love good ideas. I use stumble upon to search the internet and there are some amazing people in the world… amazing.

How would a good friend describe your aesthetic or style?

Diverse – I get bored very quickly so I change a lot. I don’t like to stick with one thing too long aesthetically or material wise or even process wise. Although I can stick with things too – my undergrad show had one work created out of around 10000 crayon segments… there were three works like that and a couple of other smaller works in that show.

What aspect of your creative practice gives you the biggest thrill?

There’s different parts that thrill me. I like designing and doing the grunt work – but I also like to think and give my brain a good workout. Ultimately though the biggest thrill is seeing something tangible that previously existed only within my noggin.

Tell us a bit about your background - as an artist and designer.

My grandmother is an artist; my dad is an artist; my brother is an artist; his partner is an artist; her sister is an artist and so is their father; we’re just one big family of artists. So growing up I spent a lot of time bone carving and working with clay as well as painting and drawing in the studio with dad or just at home – I remember my 6th form art teacher didn’t believe I made these big clay pots for my final project (with good reason though I suppose as I was hardly there). In my twenties I studied at Massey University in Palmerston North on the Maori Visual Arts Programme under the tutelage of Bob Jahnke, Kura Te Waru Rewiri and Shane Cotton. It was a great time and learnt lots – I had some technical things behind me but the course really taught me how to use my brain. During that time I also worked for Paul Dibble creating his bronze sculptures and working freelance as a designer. I have exhibited both nationally and internationally and won a couple of awards – the most notable was the Molly Morpeth Cannaday 2D Supreme Art Award in 2008.

When and why did you start the Urban Maori fashion line?

I started Urbanmaori around four years ago. Urbanmaori was really another avenue to sell my art – art that you could wear. I had concepts that I needed to release only they wouldn’t have gone down that well within the “art scene” so I put it on clothing instead – to me it spoke more to the youth than the older generation. On-line stores were becoming big in NZ and so teaching myself how to build websites and running an on-line store was part of it too – as well as all of the other business aspects that come along with it.

What do you teach at Waiariki Polytechnic in Rotorua? What are the rewards of teaching, what do you learn from your students?

I teach photography (digital and film) and digital and graphic art. I have been there for about two years now and taught at Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi in Whakatane for four years before that. Teaching is funny – you love it and you hate it! I can do without the paper work! I actually love being in front of the class and helping students bringing their ideas to fruition. I push them a lot, probably more than most other teachers but I actually get a buzz out of seeing their work come together – just don’t tell them that! Though seeing a student grow and you can see it just ‘click’ in their head. To know that you had a part to play in that, even if it was a small part, is just awesome.

This is the second year you’ve entered Miromoda Awards and gone on to be featured at Fashion Week. Why do you think Miromoda is important and what was your experience at Fashion Week last year?

Miromoda is a great place for designers looking to get into the industry – it’s hugely important as it gives Maori the opportunity to do so within the biggest fashion event in Aotearoa. You just can’t buy that. The support that Miromoda is immense – they not only provide you with the opportunity but they also back it up with business mentoring and insights into the fashion industry as a whole. Again, you just can’t but that. If you’re interested in fashion and are Maori then Miromoda is the place to be or at least connected with… no doubt.

Last year was a crack up – Shona was just talking the other day about a photo of Shona, Amber and myself backstage looking like stunned mullets. That’s pretty much what it was like for me, I was a stunned mullet most of the time lol. I design for tees and hoodies so to have to think about all of these other things was challenging. I had it easy compared to the other designers. They designed everything the models wore and sewed/made their own accessories also – I just threw on some tees and that was me lol.

Tell us a bit about your piece this year – Digi Maori T-Shirt designs.

Digimaori is a collection of tees that stem from customary Maori art and philosophy, technology and pop culture – a way to connect the now with the past to present the beginning. It uses augmented reality to show these connections.

What is the concept behind it?

The tees are of the six most known sons of Ranginui and Papatuanuku; Tumatauenga, Tawhirimatea, Tangaroa, Tanemahuta, Rongo and Ruaumoko. So the concept behind the collection is a Maori Philosophical view point. The thing though is that philosophy is there yet not there – it is tangible but yet intangible.

Tell us a bit about the designs on the t-shirts.

The designs reference customary Maori weaving patterns that are created from a computer circuitry aesthetic.

How does the augmented reality create a further meaning and elements?

Augmented reality is just freaky – it’s there yet is not there just like philosophy and so there is a direct relationship with philosophy and augmented reality that fit well. And so, on the tees there are patterns that relate to the specific sons – so the kaokao pattern has a relationship to Tumataunga. When the wearer of the tee opens the Augmented Reality app they will see a 3D model of a carving of Tumatauenga appear over their tee that interacts with the wearer in 3D space. This has a relationship also to pop culture such as digimon and pokemon as those creatures are unleashed at certain times hence the name digimaori.

How does the augmented reality work?

The Augmented Reality app I use is a collection of Flash based libraries called the Flartoolkit. It is open-source and was developed by Saqoosha after ARMedia released their code.

Basically augmented reality is where a live video feed from a camera is overlaid with digital content on detection of a marker. In my case the wearer of the tee shirt will go to a website that has the augmented reality app that gains access to their webcam. The wearer will be able to then see themselves on their computer screen. The tees have specific designs (markers) embedded and once the app sees the marker a 3D model is overlaid onto the video. If the wearer moves so does the 3D model; if the wearer turns so does the 3D model.

How will you demonstrate this on the runway at fashion week? How do you hope to do this in the future?

It requires a commuter to show the augmented reality aspect of my collection so I’m hoping to have a computer at the end of the runway hooked up to a projector – if not then a movie clip will be projected for the audience to watch. I was trying to get an iPhone app made for the show but it was a bit too expensive for my budget but hopefully this can happen soon.

What are some other future practical and artistic applications of the augmented reality?

Augmented reality has actually been around for a long time. For example the iToy for Playstation uses augmented reality to interact with digital content for gaming. Really though it is just starting to get major momentum through smartphones – as the camera and screen is portable. It’s used extensively for marketing purposes but it crosses over to education and manuals as well – how to fix a car for instance. Navigation is also using the technology – think google maps in hybrid mode only instead it’s not photos of the area but a live video feed. Augmented reality is definitely hitting the mainstream – and it’s going to be be big.

What place is always with you, wherever you go?

That place where the love for my family is.

You are given a piece of string, a stick and some fabric. What do you make?

A robot that makes more string, sticks and fabric.

What’s your big idea for 2012?

Sorry… I can’t think past fashion week at this stage – my head can’t fit anything else in lol.

Further information on Miromoda:

"Miro" is the technical term for twining muka fibres in traditional Maori weaving. "moda" is Italian for Fashion.

The Indigenous Maori Fashion Apparel Board (IMFAB) was founded in 2008, as a non-profit organisation, instituted to advance the quality status of Maori fashion design and to raise its artistic and professional standards. Miromoda also aims to define a code of ethical practices of mutual benefit in public and trade relations and, to promote appreciation of the fashion arts through leadership in high quality, authenticity and aesthetic discernment.

Each year Miromoda hosts an awards competition event at Wellington’s Massey University. The finalists then showcase their talent at New Zealand Fashion Week under the Miromoda Showcase. This year an additional Miromoda Fashion Extravaganza is on at Wellington’s TSB Arena on Friday September 30, as part of the REAL NZ Festival.