HIKITIA! TE TAUIHU
Visitors to Ordinary Wonders are being invited to do more than view the exhibition, they are being asked to help create it.
The Hikitia! Te Tauihu community storytelling and visual arts exhibition at Tāwera – The Nelson Arts Hub includes several interactive experiences exploring safety, consent, connection and belonging.
At the centre of the activities is a simple question: What are the everyday things that help us feel safe, connected and like we belong?
In the Little Matters space, children, young people, whānau and community members can get creative while exploring how everyday actions can help create safety.
One of the hands-on activities, Design Your Own Little Matter, invites visitors to create a T-shirt design inspired by something that matters to them. Ideas might include kindness, listening, speaking up, respect, boundaries or connection.
Some designs will be chosen to make the leap from paper to fabric, with T-shirts printed and gifted back to their creators.
Visitors can also take home free Little Matters resources for families and those working alongside children and families. The resources provide practical tools and ideas to help strengthen conversations and relationships that support children’s safety.
Another activity, Our Community Safety Landscape, invites visitors to answer the question: “What helps you feel safe, seen, connected and like you belong?”
Each response becomes part of an evolving collaborative artwork, creating a collective picture of what safety looks and feels like across the community.
The exhibition also explores consent in the digital world through an installation called I Shared This with Consent.
Visitors can take a photo in the gallery and contribute it to the growing digital display while reflecting on what happens once an image is shared. The installation highlights how photos can be copied, saved, altered or passed on, even when the original consent does not travel with them.
Together, the activities reflect the primary prevention approach underpinning Hikitia!’s work, focusing on safe, respectful and connected relationships.
Ordinary Wonders is free to visit at Tāwera – The Nelson Arts Hub until 16 September.
Community Corner is a regular feature for you to share your pieces with the community. Email sara@topsouthmedia.co.nz if you have an article or photo you would like to submit.
