He Hokinga Mahi – Sound Installation Launch
Join composers and performers Luc Vitk and Allana Goldsmith for their special live performance on Tuesday, 20 May 2025 at 1pm.
He Hokinga Mahi is an immersive sound installation by composers and performers Luc Vitk and Allana Goldsmith, installed at the entrance to the General Library at Waipapa Taumata Rau. The installation acts as a warm and welcoming embrace for all who pass through, inviting listeners to pause and experience the space in a new way.
The soundscape wraps visitors in layers of ambient sound sourced from across the campus, from raindrops on the School of Music Building roof to the hum of electromagnetic waves, live instruments and voices from Waipapa Marae, in Māori, Czech and English. The effect is calming, reflective, and quietly moving. It’s an invitation to slow down, reconnect, and explore the familiar spaces of Waipapa Taumata Rau with fresh ears.
Luc and Allana’s piece reflects their evolving creative dialogue, grounded in a tuakana–teina relationship based on mutual respect. The title, He Hokinga Mahi, is a play on the phrase Hokinga Mai (a return), seen on the library wall as an invitation to return books. Here, it symbolises a return to creative practice and shared performance.
He hokinga mai,
There is kōrero, there is karanga,
There is waiata, and there is puoro,
There is píseň, and there is nástroj,
He hokinga mahi.
The installation will be open daily from 9am–3pm until 20 November 2025. (Note: The soundscape fades gently in and out during the first and last 30 minutes of each day.)
