WONDERS OF WOOL

The moment Lissy and Rudi enter the room, it is instantly filled with an abundance of colour and joy. And it is no surprise their incredible and unique art form has the same powerful impact. They are crochet extraordinaires who have been exploring Mātauranga Māori through the colourful art of crochet, weaving in stories of their ancestors, whānau and friends into their mahi.

Furniture provided by Tim Webber Design. 

Te hikoi toi

Just like us, their fibre of choice is New Zealand Wool. Their journeys with wool started young, from Lissy watching her dad work exclusively with natural fibres to Rudi watching his aunties shear, dye and crochet wool from as young as he can remember. 

So for Lissy & Rudi wool connects them to some of their fondest memories growing up, and that's where their inherent love of wool comes from.

The act of crochet is connecting loops, and for Lissy and Rudi, crochet symbolises connection. 

"The whole symbolism of wool is that invisible thread that connects us. It connects everybody."

Wharenui Harikoa

Lissy and Rudi's artwork comes in all different shapes and sizes. But undoubtedly, their largest and most ambitious is their current project, Wharenui Harikoa, a full-sized fluorescent crocheted whare. 

The intention is for Wharenui Harikoa to transcend all barriers and to connect with and embrace people from all walks of life. The whare itself is a collaboration of carved pou and crochet-coloured adornments suspended upon a black steel frame. It's a beautifully collaborative process.

Lissy and Rudi are working towards completing the wharenui this year and unveiling it during Matariki. It will take over 5000 balls of yarn to create. That's over 235,000 metres. 

"Wharenui Harikoa is a prism of tupuna-inspired light that shines across the sky like a rainbow. Transforming intergenerational trauma into deeply felt joy one crochet loop at a time."