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Click to view a short project documentary featuring artist Edwin Ushiro, mural subjects Kepā Maly and Lopaka White, and Hale Ho'ike'ike Executive Director Sissy Lake-Farm — as they share their perspectives of Wailuku Ho’okele |
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Wailuku Ho’okele / Wailuku Wayfinders (August 2022) by Edwin Ushiro
Mural located at 33 Market Street, Wailuku HI Inspired by ʻōlelo noʻeau #1427: Kala kahiko I au wale ai ka la. (The sun has gone down long since. A reply to one who asks about something that took place a long time ago). Artist Statement: Like the connecting stars in the sky that form a constellation, the moments of working on the mural has connected all my loved ones from my past to present. Working together reinforcing our bonds to leave something behind that symbolizes what makes a community. Background Info: It was interesting to hear from the recording of Lopaka White and Kepā Maly (57-min version HERE; 2.5-min excerpt HERE) that the true meaning of ʻĪao isn’t fully understood, although we know that one of its meanings is the name for Jupiter. Knowing that the ancient Hawaiians were phenomenal navigators, one can only assume that they understood the constellations. That idea of the constellations guiding us around would be a great symbol for these stories that help us find our way to our origins and history—our “wayfinders” or ho’okele. I believe that indicators of the past exist everywhere around us, but they’re not always easy to see. By making them visible, these stories of what came before us could help the people of the present understand their roots—from which I myself often feel so detached. Through art, I have been able to get closer to being reconnected. It always starts with a spark. For me, that spark was the obake stories, which led to learning about history, which guided me towards mythology, and then into the psychology or mindset of our ancestors. The objective of Wailuku Ho’okele / Wailuku Wayfinders is to reveal pathways in that wilderness that help us focus, observe and reflect so we can hear the quiet voice of our past and understand how it manifests in the present. |
MAHALO to the following for helping to make this ST*BA installation a reality: Steve Parker, Hawaiian Dredging, Kepā Maly, Lopaka White, Leilehua Yuen, StoryCorps DIY, Akakū Maui Community Media, Leola Leong, Ron Muromoto, St. Anthony Church, Erik Fredericksen, Uncle Bill Garcia, Aunty Kay Fukumoto, Elsie Woodruff, Bailey Onaga, Russell & Jan Sato, Ryoko & Leslie Ushiro, Casey Sherman, Rev. John Hara, County of Maui, Teens on Call, Kelly & Maka Pauole, Matt Pierce, Chris Sugidono, and the ST*BA team! |
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Artist Bio: Edwin Ushiro’s work resonates with the echoes of his boyhood in the “slow town” of Wailuku, Maui. While structuring his work around the narrative tradition of “talk story” native to the Hawaiian islands, he interweaves the uncanny obake tales of his Japanese heritage. After earning a BFA with Honors in Illustration from Art Center College of Design, he worked in the entertainment industry as a storyboard artist, concept designer and visual consultant. More recently, he has exhibited in venues worldwide, including Villa Bottini in Italy, Grand Palais in France, the Museum of Kyoto, HoMA, and the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. A monograph of his work entitled "Edwin Ushiro: Gathering Whispers" was published in 2014 with editions by Zero+ Publishing in the United States and Diagon Alley in China. In recent years, he has participated in several POW! WOW! mural festivals in Honolulu and Long Beach, as well as the Windows of Little Tokyo public art festival in Los Angeles. He lives and works between Los Angeles and Maui.
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Please, tell us what you think of this public artwork! >>>
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COMMUNITY CONSULTATIONS:
Kepā Maly & Lopaka White
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Steve Parker of 33 Market St.
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Leola Leong & Ron Muromoto
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Archaeologist Erik Fredericksen
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‘Ōlelo No‘eau meeting with Sissy Lake-Farm
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"The community engagement offered access from many angles on how the importance of a mural can help to preserve history and oral traditions. After that experience, I can see how these engagements allowed me to visually connect the aligning stars to tell the story of how we got here. Kepa Maly spoke of quality over quantity. So I trimmed the fat of information. Lopaka White offered his experience of leading with the gut and the connection and awareness to nature. So the placement in the sea was an obvious solution. Steve Parker revealed that Wailuku town was built on immigrants. There is that ocean reference again. Leola Leong reminded me of the fondness and carefree days of youth. So I thought to draw the outline of the figure as if this were a game of connect the dots. Erik Frederiksen spoke about order and process that allowed me to create structure in this illustration." -- Edwin Ushiro
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PROJECT TRACKING:
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