We talked with Miriama Grace-Smith - the artist behind our Wayfinder 75% Dark Chocolate Bar - about their art and inspiration behind the packaging on WCF's bar.
WCF: Can you tell us a little more about yourself and how you first got into making art?
I'm a multimedia artist of Ngāti Hau, Ngāti Maniapoto, Te Arawa, Ngāti Toa Rangatira and Ngāti Porou descent. I've been interested in art since I was about eight years old, and my whānau really encouraged me to pursue my passion from a young age.
WCF: What is your favourite part of the creative process?
My favourite part is when I've managed to catch inspiration and feel that I've got hold of an idea I want to create art about. Once I have hold of that idea, the creation process becomes so much easier.
WCF: Your art is in some of the most prominent places across Te Whanganui-a-Tara, how does the place where you live and work influence the way you make art?
Where I live, where I come from, and being Māori really influence the way I make art. Especially with public works like murals, I like to learn about the stories and whakapapa of those areas and then paint those stories into the murals. I hope the people who see them learn a bit about the area, what was there before them and what is still there now.
WCF: What are the origins behind the artwork for the WCF Wayfinder Bar, and what has inspired the story behind it?
When Wellington Chocolate Factory got in touch about the Wayfinder bar, they wanted the piece to have a story that related to waka hourua, the double-hulled voyaging waka, and waka hourua are actually something I love to paint. I first got really interested in them when I worked with the Aotearoa Festival on A Waka Odyssey, the 2018 festival was in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, where a group of waka hourua voyaged to Te Whanganui-a-Tara and came into the harbour. That got me really interested in learning about waka hourua, their voyages, and how we as Māori arrived here on waka. So when I was approached to create an artwork about navigation and waka, of course I enjoyed the whole process.
The artwork tells the story of navigating across the vast ocean of Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa to reach Aotearoa, which is how we as Māori got here, and it says a lot about us as a people. Navigation means learning to read the ocean in many different ways: the currents, the creatures that live in the ocean, the stars and the weather patterns. The piece also reflects the journey of Pacific-grown cocoa travelling across Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa to Aotearoa. At its heart is the waka hourua, representing the knowledge, courage and skill of Pacific voyagers, with the voyager raising his hoe (paddle) to guide the waka forward with strength and determination.
WCF: Are there details people should look for when they have your design in their hands?
The colours I've used relate to the beautiful colours of the Pacific islands. The waves represent the challenges you may face. It's a metaphor too, for the challenges that come when you're trying to reach goals that are hard to achieve. It's always good to have challenges, because they teach us to grow.
There's also the idea of working as a team. The rangatira, the leader, is at the front, but he can't lead without his people behind him. The waka can't move unless they all work together.
There are also patterns in there like pūhoro, which represents the waves that hit against the waka as it travels.
WCF: What's your favourite kind of chocolate? Dark or milk?
I actually like both dark and milk. I love that WCF's beans come from the Pacific.
