AwhiWorld have worked hard over the last five years to support Te Tai Tokerau’s creative technology and cross-disciplinary arts scene.
Both Dr Maggie Buxton and Kim Newall have dedicated a considerable amount of volunteer time and personal resources to raising the profile of this sector.
Many individuals work in some form of creative practice, either remotely for large companies, as freelancers with portfolio lifestyles or as creatives working either full-time or tending a side hustle for extra income.
Recognising this, Maggie (together with Matt Keene from Saas Digital) founded Creative Technology Northland, a thriving networking organisation to support and showcase this sector and bring more work to our region. In supporting creative innovation, AwhiWorld directly supports the regional economy.
Workshops and Training
Between them, Maggie and Kim have 46 years of combined experience in mentoring, education and facilitation – including creating Master’s level curricula and supporting interarts creatives from diverse backgrounds. Helping people and places develop and thrive is core to both their community based practices.
Since arriving in Northland, they have delivered many learning events, including talks, seminars, panels and meetups.
The Awhi Incubator will hold a number of workshops throughout the project’s life ranging from technology to more practice-oriented topics like funding and marketing.
Innovation Labs
Extensive experience producing creative innovation labs in Northland was one of the core impulses behind the Awhi Incubator.
Seeing the power of people working together creatively from across different realities – and the amazing outcomes that result gave AwhiWorld the motivation to build this work on a larger scale.
The labs have a strong environmental focus, supporting research in science, engineering, art, design and social sciences.
The Awhi Incubator will hold two large labs throughout the project time, the first one in May/June of 2023.
For the love of place
AwhiWorld has extensive experience working in interarts and cross-disciplinary practice. The core organisational focus is on supporting the spirit and spirits of place. It is essentially a community based creative studio.
Dr Maggie Buxton’s PhD was focused on the Spirit of Place and Augmented Reality Mobile, and she has almost 30 years of working in various forms of development.
Kim Newall is a lifelong multi-disciplinary creative who has worked extensively to support other artists as a core part of his practice.
Together they have created numerous installations and capacity-building projects in South Auckland and Northland that support people and the places they love.
The Awhi Incubator aims to generate more place-based practice across the region, with emerging projects that support cultural education, community cohesion, environmental behaviour change and citizen research. All with a cross-disciplinary creative base.
Manatū Taonga – The Funding Journey
Early in 2021, AwhiWorld attended a presentation informing the Northland Art Community about the newly launched Innovation Fund.
After many delays due to COVID we finally submitted an application in June 2022, having worked hard over the year developing the idea of the Awhi Incubator.
We were told we were successful in September and then officially started the programme, 1 February 2023 after a very busy few months tidying up our other work.
AwhiWorld are extremely grateful to be given this opportunity and also feel that all our hard work in this area has been recognised. It is now time to take our mahi to another level!
PROJECT EXAMPLES
From co-curating exhibitions to running capacity building workshops, AwhiWorld has worked hard to support other creatives and showcase the amazing talent our region has to offer.
Strange Intelligences Publication
Strange Intelligences Digest Publication The Strange Intelligences Digest is a miscellany co-curated and edited by Dr Maggie Buxton and Kim Newall. It emerges in response to particular projects and inspirations and is independently funded. The Digest is an opportunity for practitioners to publish their work across barriers, and we hope you will take the time…
Strange Intelligences Lab
Strange Intelligences The Strange Intelligence Lab explores a wide spectrum of intelligence: from the quiet knowledge of spores and plants, to artificial intelligence, human creativity, spiritual insight, and intelligences that may come from other dimensions or realities. We’re curious about how these different forms of intelligence connect — and what new ideas, tools, or practices…
Alternative Reality Gardening Lab 24
ARG Lab 24 Opening a Portal to Creative Innovation and Resilience From May 17th to May 25th, Te Tai Tokerau delivered the Alternative Reality Gardening Lab 24 (ARG Lab 24) - a showcase for our Awhi Incubator Project. It featured an exciting mix of new enterprises, innovative art forms, and technological advancements across various sectors.…
Creative Innovation Clinics
Creative Innovation Clinics About the Pop-Up Clinics AwhiWorld partnered with Creative Northland to deliver creative innovation clinics in Whangarei, Rawene, and Dargaville in March/April 2024. These dynamic events ignited the imagination and empowered creatives to explore the endless possibilities of innovation. Those who attended discovered the latest in 3D scanning, printing and…
bioSignals
bioSignals bioSignals is an international collaboration between AwhiWorld, the Philippines (led by Dr Diego Maranan of the UP Open University), and the UK (led by Mary Pedicini of SEADS). The overall project leader is Dr Amy Holt. It's an IoT-based creative research project that bridges the three island nations by generating signals with plants. biosignals…
Tasman Threads
Tasman Threads Since 2022, Dr Tracey M Benson of Treecreate and Dr Maggie Buxton and Kim Newall (AwhiWorld) have worked together on a series of Trans-Tasman projects, including residencies and creative collaborations that connect Onerahi in Whangarei, NZ, to Yarun (Bribie) Island in Queensland, Australia. This partnership is based on a shared understanding of transdisciplinary practice…
Alternative Reality Gardening 23
Alternative Reality Gardening You may not realise it, but you are inside a portal to an alternative reality. A place where scientists, technologists, theorists, poets, crafters, dancers, artists and engineers all garden - in quite different ways. About This is a large-scale creative theme within the Awhi Incubator Project. It includes the following…
Alternative Reality Gardening Publication
Alternative Reality Gardening Publication About AwhiWorld's first publication is a miscellany, a diverse collection of writing and images blurring boundaries of mindset, discipline and practice. What was submitted exceeded expectations regarding the diversity of approaches and the courage to share secret passions and practices, deeply held dreams and darker reflections. Inside As you…
Three Portals – IGECC Belgium
Metaworlds(s) - IGECC Belgium AwhiWorld have been collaborating with Belgian artist Daniël Vandersmissen / Dan Yapungku on a series of interrelated projects based on the notion of portals. This page documents this ongoing collaboration. Daniël Vandersmissen / Dan Yapungku lives in Belgium-Europe. He creates installations and performances related to social themes and events. As an…
Dargaville Wearable Arts VJ Performances and Projection
Dargaville Wearable Arts 2023 AwhiWorld VJ'd down the rabbit hole for Dargaville Wearable Arts 2023. After delays due to COVID and Cyclone Gabrielle, the event took place 1st and 2nd of September at Dargaville Rugy Grounds. The original venue was decommissioned due to rain damage in the Cyclone Gabrielle, so a marquee was used instead.…