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Care-guiding combines aspects of wayfinding and responsive spatial environments to design a system that guides children through a hospital environment while providing emotional support. The series of proposed installations in Wellington Children’s Hospital draw from native fungi used within Rongoa Māori healing practices to create modular interactive light and sculptures. Children interact with the sculptures through touch and movement, giving them a sense of connection and control bringing light to each unique journey.

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The walkway has lookout points along the trail to offer visitors views of a variety of different attractions. This landmark addition transforms the visitors experience with incredible views, which haven't been seen before. With information placed throughout the users journey, the public will able to educate themselves about the History of the site. By getting up close and personal with the site/ wildlife. Three main points of the walkway are Observation, Discussion, Reflection.

Observation. Bringing nature within closer reach allowing one to observe their surroundings in a unique way.

Discussion. Engraved into the steel will be information about the history of the site, Including the timeline of Government house, plantations, bird species and what was once here before. This will spark conversation among individuals.

Reflection. As you reach the top look out point it allows a moment of reflection as it gives a new perfective ofWellington, creating a sense of an escape. Allowing the individuals to escape reality for a moment. appreciating their surroundings and taking in the land.

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My installation ‘suspended above’ allows the human body to connect with water. I want to take people away from the fast paced nature of the site, by creating a moment of relaxation and reflection of the surroundings. The structure allows people to position their bodies over the water, giving them a new perception of the site from what they would usually see walking by. The different angles of netting allows people to climb, lean, sit, and lie above the water. These nets allow a sense of intimacy by being close to the water as the smell and sound of the ocean, in such close proximity to the face of the viewer, gives a nostalgic presents. It allows for each viewer to experience different sensations of how they identify with the water. It also provides a sense of safety but at the same time there is a moment of vulnerability of being in an unfamiliar position above the water.

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Beneath the hill is a multi-use performance space that is intended for use by various types of the performing arts, including dance, music, theatre, and Massey expos. The venue can also be hired out for other community events. It will provide access for performing arts organisations though Massey University as a sole presenter. The performance spaces will also be available to other self-presenting groups. The space will be able to contain : social event functions, bands, student hub, exhibitions, holi- day programs, fashion shows, dance and theatre.

The flowing frame work represents Pukeahu which is also know as sacred hill, that the great hall building is situated on. The Maori land was stripped bare and made flat by the European settlers. The hanging structure is a indicator of were the hill originally used to be, as people inhabit the space they are walking beneath the original land.

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My design is a organic flowing structure representing Pukeatu also know as sacred hill, the original Maori name for the land which is now known as Mount cook, renamed by Captain James Cook (1769–70). Pukeahu was used as a pā (fortified village) by Te Ati Awa which was a food gathering area. Where they developed numerous garden sites, originally growing bracken ferns. The Maoris land was stripped bare made flat by the european settlers to accommodate their army, police barracks and prisons. Making an obvious contrast between The Great Hall building and a free moving structure representing the hill that Maori once used for gardens. Stripped bare and made flat by the european settlers. With flowing framework which splits up the space and creates a natural flowing pathway that also is a space for students to eat, socialise and study within.

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Playing around with different textures of my fungi illustrations 

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Touch point visuals working on the aesthetic - keeping it organic and sketchy  

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First alteration of touch points using the fungi - wanting to use the narrative of the Rongoa harvest to take the child on a unique journey. 

Editing is needed 

Changes to the waiting room - in the entrance maybe the fungi isn’t that visible it’s under the surface? then grows out of the surface in the foyer. 

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Māori & Mushrooms: Fungi in Aotearoa

We often think about Plants and Fungi together, but in truth Fungi are more closely related to humans than plants. They belong to their own separate kingdom containing millions of species, vastly outnumbering plants. Not only that, but the part of the fungi we are most familiar with – the toadstool or mushroom – is just the tip of the iceberg. Most of the fungi lies below the soil, a massive network of thread-like cells. “The mushroom is simply a reproductive organ, like the flower of a plant, it bursts forth to spread its spores and then dies away again.”

- https://meaningoftrees.com/2016/09/05/of-maori-mushrooms-fungi-in-aotearoa/

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NZ fungi - Pen sketches 

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Whareatua : Once seen and smelt, this fungus is not forgotten! It is another stinkhorn fungus like puapuatai. It was collected by our ancestors when young and like an egg, but only the outer part was eaten. Later, it opens to become like a white basket or net. A smelly slime on the inside of the net attracts flies that then spread the spores.

Our ancestors in different parts of Aotearoa had over 35 different names for this fungus, suggesting that it was well known. Some names like tūtaewhatitiri refer to its apparent sudden appearance after thunder storms – Whatitiri is a name of our thunder god. In the South Island, whareatua – house of the devil – was linked to its net-like appearance.

Hakeke : Fruitbodies of hakeke grow on wood and look like a thin soft rubbery ear. There is no stalk or gills. Instead, the upper surface of the ear is hairy, and the spores form on the smooth lower surface. In Tāne-mahuta, hakeke is common on many different kinds of dead wood, like tawa and māhoe, and can be collected during spring, summer and autumn. Like tawaka, hakeke was also sometimes given to invalids who were “recovering from poisoning by karaka or tutu”. 

In Chinese and Asian medicine, hakeke has multiple uses including for colds and fevers by reducing the heat of the body and to strengthen blood vessels and the cardiovascular system.

Pukurau : There are different kinds of pukurau, some growing in Tāne-mahuta and others on farmland. Their hyphae feed on plant matter in the soil. When the moisture and temperature is right, the puffball fruitbody grows rapidly above the soil surface – sometimes up to a very large size. Edible kinds were eaten when young and firm and when the inside of the puffball is white. Later, the inside part softens and turns brown and powdery as thousands of spores develop. The spores are spread in the wind after being puffed out of the puffball by the impact of raindrops or an animal.

Pukurau were also used by our ancestors in medicine, for example, to stop bleeding from wounds and for pain relief from scalds and burns.

https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/image_maps/72-matauranga-maori-fungi-as-food-and-medicine

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Different types of fungi :

Puwa : The pūtawa fungus feeds on the wood of living beech trees in Tāne-mahuta. Its fruit bodies are bracket shaped and often form high up on trunks. They grow quickly to a large size, but only last a few weeks to months before becoming old and falling. When collected on the ground, they need to be dried out before they can be used.

For medical use, pūtawa was cut into flexible strips and used to surround and protect wounds. A hole larger than the wound was cut in the strip, and the pūtawa was tied in place as a protective pad.

Hericium : This fungus feeds on dead wood, and its fruit bodies form only on softened, well rotted trees. There are few reports of our ancestors eating pekepeke kiore, but a closely related fungus in Asia is widely eaten. Hericium erinaceus is a delicious and popular mushroom grown on sawdust in several Asian countries. 

Recent research suggests that Hericium sp. may have potential as an extract for modern medicines and health. A summary of this research can be found in the article Antibacterial mushrooms.

Tawaka : This large mushroom (up to dinner-plate size) grows on living tawa and other trees, often appearing high up on the tree trunk in late summer to autumn. The mushroom has a long stalk with a hanging skirt that is coloured brown because it is coated with brown spores. When the mushroom is young in the button stage, this skirt is also attached to the edge of the cap covering the brown gills.

In addition to its use as a food, cooked tawaka was also considered to have medicinal benefit, reportedly being given to patients suffering fever and for health of expectant mothers. Tawaka was also given to invalids who were “recovering from poisoning by karaka or tutu”.

Harore : This fungus feeds on wood and forms its edible mushrooms mostly on different kinds of fallen wood such as tawa and tawai or at the base of dead trees.It appears in late autumn to early winter and can often be collected in large numbers throughout Aotearoa. Its white mycelium may be seen under the bark of affected wood as the wood rots. It also forms black bootlace-like cords under the bark and growing out through soil and can use these to grow to a new source of food.

Recent records indicate that some Tūhoe continue to collect this as a food in Te Urewera. There is more than one species of Armillaria in Aotearoa, and at least some, such as Armillaria limonea, are bitter in taste and not edible. Distinguishing words in te reo Māori for these fungi of similar appearance but inferior use are not known. The word harore is used in three senses – it is the name of this widely eaten edible mushroom, it is commonly used as a generic word for mushrooms whether edible or not and it can also mean a generic term for fungi in science classification (though hekaheka is the standard word for this purpose). 

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Matauranga Maori : fungi as food and medicine :

Tāne-mahuta is an important source of food, with different foods collected at different times of the year. Fungi mostly form their fruit bodies in autumn or early winter. Our ancestors knew which fungi tasted good and knew also to eat only those that weren’t poisonous. They also knew how to identify them and where to find them. Some of these edible fungi were also used for rongoā.

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Still Life – Mushrooms by Dale M. ReidToday my subject matter features floral, mushroom and pear studies. My mission is to capture and present a unique perspective that engages the viewer and embodies a concept or tells a story.

https://www.dodho.com/still-life-mushrooms-by-dale-m-reid/

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Rongoa Maori

Rongoa Maori is a traditional Maori healing, which encompasses herbal remedies, physical remedies and spiritual healing. It is a taonga (gift). It’s main form is Rongoa rakau (plant remedies). “Illness was viewed as a symptom of disharmony with nature.” For Māori, rongoā is a part of the Māori culture from Tāne (God of the forest). with the knowledge and teachings to guide us in this world. To learn rongoā, people have to become a part of the world of Tāne. They become connected and immersed in the forest, learning about a relationship far beyond the physical elements of the trees and plants. 

 Rongoa is a vessel to achieve the healing through Io alongside the use of physical touch to create balance and shift energies.

 Rongoā Māori can help manage your pain by changing the balance and negative energies within your body. 

 For rongoā rākau to be used safely, the practitioner must be open to the Māori world, first and foremost karakia. Rongoā can be harvested differently iwi by iwi and healers will generally have their own special place they will harvest from. 

Harvesting Steps :

When to harvest: when the light first touches the forest. This is a time that the plants/trees will reveal themselves for selection. 

 Karakia (prayer or blessing): everyone will karakia in their own way. The most important thing is to prepare ourselves from all the stresses of the living world in order to focus on the person or reason you are collecting rongoā. The karakia must come from our heart to allow the mauri (life force) to heal to become a vessel, a pathway. 

 Harvesting: we only harvest what the tree is prepared to give, at a certain time of the day, with a person in mind/patient (tūroro) or a specific reason, using all our senses (sight, touch, smell, taste and hearing). There are rules such as to never pick where someone else has just harvested. We should never forget, "we not only take from the forest but also accept the responsibility of being a carer (kaitiaki)”. (Pa Ropata)

 Return what we have used back to the forest: We must give back the nutrients that remain within the plants/trees so that they can be reabsorbed by the forest to maintain its own wellbeing. We karakia while giving thanks for the use of the forest's healing.

*Playing with the idea that each touch point could represent the journey of harvesting rongoa --- Taking the child on a journey of healing.