TE HAEATA | ANEW

Burnett Centre, Auckland, New Zealand, 2023.

Te Haeata | Anew is a collaborative body of work between Novak and the Burnett Foundation Aotearoa as part of the organisations Artist Partnership programme. The organisation states:

“As an organisation rooted in advocating for the health and wellbeing of diverse communities, ongoing community arts practices are a powerful tool to shift public attitudes and mobilising our communities' human rights endeavours. Whether raising awareness to prevent HIV and STI transmission, increasing HIV and STI testing, reducing HIV stigma, or being in closer proximity to our communities, Burnett Foundation Aotearoa is proud to partner with our community artists to weave together stories that make up the tapestry of our organisation and the communities we serve”.

BURNETT CENTRE WORK

Novak was the inaugural recipient of the Burnett Foundation Aotearoa Artist Partnership. The organisation states:

“Guided by the whakataukī ‘Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua’ - ‘I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past’, this work commemorates the beginning of Burnett Foundation Aotearoa.

Te Haeata, the Māori word for the dawn, speaks of the first light of morning and represents a new day rising. This acknowledges the beginning of Burnett Foundation Aotearoa by choosing Te Haeata as the installation's name to welcome the dawn of something anew. Nau mai Te Haeata! Te Haeata | Anew is rooted in acknowledging our past as Te Tūāpapa Mate Āraikore o Aotearoa New Zealand AIDS Foundation, making a bold statement that embodies Bruce Burnett and the first clinic that opened in 1986, parallel to the Homosexual Law Reform Act. This manifests in the eight and six circle formations on the exterior of the building and on the sunlight in the stairwell.

Line work weaves into the existing fabric of the building, with the red line referencing the red AIDS ribbon, ushering those entering the building from the outside to the entrance of the clinic on the top floor; and the cyan line paying homage to the original eight-colour rainbow flag (1978), symbolising magic and art. Circles represent people - individuals, communities, groups, organisations, countries, and the lines support, and provide safety and guidance for people. Triangle motifs pay homage to early AIDS-awareness iconography and the colours used in the circles in the stairwell are inspired by the colours in the ‘For Those Loved and Known’ quilt, created by the team of the Burnett Clinic (New Zealand AIDS Foundation’s support and counselling clinic) and the Community AIDS Resource Team as part Block 4 of the New Zealand AIDS Memorial Quilt Project. These colours represent spiritual, physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing. The motifs are echoed in the reception area, where a metallic gold frame of Bruce Burnett is housed in remembrance, supported by bronze and gold accenting, inspired by Bruce’s star on Block 12 – ‘Who Do I know? Commemorating World AIDS Day 1994’ of the New Zealand AIDS Memorial Quilt Project.

Shannon’s expertise in interactive and celebratory art forms, ushers the history of Te Tūāpapa Mate Āraikore o Aotearoa New Zealand AIDS Foundation and the communities we serve into a new era of Burnett Foundation Aotearoa”.

Photography: Shannon Novak and Blink.

VIDEO DOCUMENTATION

This video documentation shows the scope of the Burnett Centre work on the building exterior and interior.