AMALGAMATION QUILT

For this project, I'd like to highlight facets of Hawaii’s past, present and potential. I’d like to do this by employing imagery from traditional Hawaiian quilt making. 

While the art of quilting has only existed in the islands since the 1820’s, ancient Hawaiians have employed the use of kapa and kapa moe for centuries before that. With the arrival of the missionaries in the islands, the tradition of making kapa was slowly replaced by quilting. However, the unique combination of linear elements that cross and converge to form squares, triangles, chevrons, and diagonal forms on the fabric was retained. This form of imagery found its way into the quilting patterns, and has since transformed into a distinct style of quilt making today. I’d like to use this transition from kapa moe to quilt making as an allegory for Hawaii’s unique ability to remain authentic and resilient in a changing, modern world. 

I’ve drafted a radially symmetric (with four identical segments ) quilt design that employs allegories ingrained in Hawaii’s past. The use of radial symmetry here is suggestive of an occurrence in the natural world when organisms show a repeating pattern around a central axis such that they can be separated into several identical pieces. It can be observed in just about any natural environment, just go outside and look at a flower, notice it’s radial symmetry?

The design will contain three aspects of our relationship with Hawaii’s natural world, (1) its sustenance, (2) natural beauty, and (3) our interactions with the land.

The sustenance will be represented by an ʻUlu. The ʻulu tree was a staple in ancient Hawaiian communities, before colonial contact. Not only was the fruit of the tree a nutritious and filling food, but the tree itself was also a source of wood, craft materials, and medicine - resources needed to complete everyday life. Today breadfruit is still consumed by communities throughout the Pacific to sustain life. 

The natural beauty will be represented by the Hawaiian Hibiscus flower. While this flower has seven species the are native to Hawaii, Iʻd like to represent all of them with the general shape of the flower. The use of the hibiscus is a reference to the breathtaking native flora and fauna of the islands. While it is a small detail compared to the vast Koʻolaus or raging lava flow of Kīlauea, it is a single flower that can hold the ability to epitomize the eternal process of the universe. I will admit that I am biased when it comes to this flower. As a child attending Royal Elementary School, I have fond memories of playing among these flowers in the courtyard during periods of play. Often times I would pick the flowers, and bring them home for my mother as a token of appreciation. 

Our interactions with the land will be represented by a poi pounder, a pōhaku ku'i. This tool has also been used since precolonial times in Hawaii to transform taro after being cooked into poi, a nutritional treat. Carved out of stone, or basalt, this tool is an accurate depiction of our relationship with Hawaiiʻs land and resources. While the practice of growing taro includes propagating the leafy stems of the roots after harvest, it showcases a unique holistic and mutually beneficial approach to farming and sustainability.

The amalgamation of all three aspects is an emblem for our metamorphosis into the modern world of Hawaii today. Through the conscious practices of remaining in tune with the land, and sensitive to its vibrations we can recover, resist, reconstruct and rebuild to preserve the future of the land.