Awhi Tower: Regenerating a Historic Site

SITE-SPECIFIC INTERACTIVE SOUND INSTALLATION

Awhi Tower was a 2018 site-specific interactive work in a derelict 100-year-old water tower at the Nathan Homestead in Manurewa, South Auckland.

The project was a collaboration with All Day Breakfast and was funded by the Manurewa Local Board.

The century-old tower had fallen into disrepair and needed love and attention. Working with Nathan Homestead staff, attention was given to the location’s physical, social, and spiritual aspects to bring it back to life.

The area around the tower was cleared, and a bright new path was created to the structure. AwhiWorld then turned the historic building into an interdimensional sound-transmitting device triggered by the audience moving through the surrounding bush.

Using audio ‘exciters’ (an emerging technology that allows surfaces and objects to project sound), the tower came alive with whispered sounds gathered from the local community (woven together with images from the site (current and historical) that were manipulated into audio.

As a result, the tower became a conduit connecting different parts of the Manurewa community, embracing, transmitting and amplifying love as the site’s spirit regenerated.

The century-old tower had fallen into disrepair and needed love and attention. Working with Nathan Homestead staff, attention was given to the location’s physical, social, and spiritual aspects to bring it back to life.

The area around the tower was cleared, and a bright new path was created to the structure. AwhiWorld then turned the historic building into an interdimensional sound-transmitting device triggered by the audience moving through the surrounding bush. Using audio ‘exciters’ (an emerging technology that allows surfaces and objects to project sound), the tower came alive with whispered sounds gathered from the local community (woven together with images from the site (current and historical) that were manipulated into audio. As a result, the tower became a conduit connecting different parts of the Manurewa community, embracing, transmitting and amplifying love as the site’s spirit regenerated.

LIsten here to a sample of the sounds.