Words: Amy Russ | Photos: Tessa Jaine
Brian Flintoff has come a long way from finding bone to carve on the Boulder Bank, now the Monacobased Queen's Service Medal winner is respected across the country for his work as a carver.
At his happiest when being creative in his modest Jade and Bone workshop located in Monaco, you will soon discover prominent New Zealand carver and author, Brian Flintoff has an exceptional knack for storytelling. With his gentle and soft-spoken nature, his love for indigenous culture shines through into each spectacular work of art that he lovingly creates with intricately designed, bespoke pieces telling a multitude of stories specific to each individual piece. With his face lighting up when explaining the story behind each carvings detail, Brian tells of a childhood filled with compassion and empathy for others, honest hard work and a family dedicated to helping others.
Raised in the deep south, Brian’s interest in the rich tradition of Māori culture was established at a young age, inspired by his parents and his experiences that culminated from their work. “My parents were Salvation Army officers and I remember feeling particularly intrigued and inspired by my mum's positive experiences from her posting to Te Kuiti, these instilled an interest in tangata whenua right from the age of seven or eight years old.” Born in Balclutha and raised in Colac Bay near Foveaux Strait, Brian says his upbringing instilled in him valuable work ethics. “We lived a simple lifestyle, that was two generations behind most of us. We worked hard toiling on the land and we had to have that attitude to live sustainably.”
Becoming a qualified teacher Brian saw creating as a way to relax after a hard day at work. After tinkering around making small pieces of furniture and children's toys in his shed, Brian’s carving journey began in 1977 after purchasing a particular piece for his wife, Julia. Intrigued by the design, Brian jokes that he is unsure whether he was drawn to it most for himself or for Julia, but either way, it marked the beginning of a journey he has travelled ever since. With no prior training, Brian learned the basic skills of carving through Mac McCabe of Fiordland Souvenirs. Finding a piece of bone on Nelson’s Boulder Bank, he was confident enough to attempt carving. “I tried my hand with a lovely fragment of bone and created my very first pendant for my nephew to wear, as he was leaving the country at the time.”
Brian's teaching career saw him travel the country and time spent in Wainuiomata, offered an experience that immersed him further into the mythology and symbolism of the Māori world. “Back then there was no marae nearby so spare classrooms at the school were used to teach flax weaving kowhaiwhai, and tukutuku. I was fortunate enough to be exposed to some very wonderful people who would guide and encourage me through my journey.” Realising it was the influence of the Kowhaiwhai patterns that inspired him, Brian says it was the stylisation process, half spirit (Ira Atua) and half physical (Ira Tangata) – balance - that drew him in. “Nature is in everything and the spirit of everything is the same. So with that, all of nature shares the same spirit. That’s the basis behind the kowhaiwhai – the white pattern is the story, the red and black spaces add the balance we have to seek in all aspects of life, the complimentary elements of two sides – day and night or male and female. It is a magical thing that Māori art has developed. With art you are telling the stories but basing them on the philosophy first. Things have to mean something and there is also a subliminal message hidden there. The creation story sets the philosophy into place. The complimentary opposites – day and night, male and female, light and dark - which are inherent in the old stories are still relevant today. It is a belief that I have personally benefitted from, and I think the world can too as I believe the old stories hold just as much relevance today.”
Amassing years of research and refining his skills culminated in Brian creating bespoke pieces for members of parliament, and respected kaumatua including Sir Tīpene O’Regan. Supporting workshops and bringing other creative people together has garnered backing from Māori communities throughout the country. Brian met with renowned Māori musician Hirini (Sydney) Melbourne, at the first wananga on Taonga Puoro at Te Araroa, and it was from there that, along with Hirini and fellow Nelsonian teacher, Richard Nunns, the publications ‘Taonga Puoro’ and later ‘Kura Koiwi’ were born. The three of them collaborated and spearheaded the initial revival project, along with many other contributors. ‘Taonga Puoro’ - first printed by Potton & Burton in 2004 - was the first book to be published that comprehensively detailed the world of Māori musical instruments and aided in the revival and preservation of Māori musical culture and beliefs. “We had complementary skills – I could create, Hirini and Richard had the exceptional musical talent and Hirini also added the deep understanding of the mythology and philosophy. A lot of these stories had never been written down, such as the story of Raukatauri, the goddess who gave us flute music. Stories that beautifully explain why things are the way they are, there are so many. We were needing to gather as much information as possible and publishing it emerged as a tohu, a sign, that we were on the right path.”
The more Brian delved into our country's indigenous culture, the more he wanted to learn about others, and he developed a deep appreciation for West Coast Canadian Indian Tribal art. Receiving a grant to travel there Brian soon discovered a parallel between the two cultures. “The works of Canadian carver's show striking similarities to Māori art, with both having a similar approach to stylisation. When I became aware of the similarities of both art and myth, I looked more closely at Māori carvings and found that there perhaps might be a link. Interestingly this is now shown through a shared line of DNA.”
Widely regarded as one of Aotearoa’s most prominent makers of Māori instruments, Brian’s work is held in maraes throughout the country and in both private and public collections and museums throughout the world. He is an elected member of the Academy of Fine Arts and along with Richard Nunns he received a Queens Service Medal in 2010 for his contribution to the revival of taonga puoro, but he says it is the recognition and acceptance he receives from many marae throughout Aotearoa that is the most satisfying acknowledgement of his lifetime of work.
One such creation that Brian holds dear is a personal project with Hirini who was given a description of the Pumotomoto (a name for the fontanelle), an instrument which is played over the womb of expectant mothers and over the child's fontanelle until it closes, to embed tribal beliefs. Many art pieces found back in the day were sent to museums or personal collections all over the world but none of these pumotomoto exist.” Brian recreated the magical piece based purely on a short description given to Hirini by kaumatua from remote Waikarimoana. Demonstrating the extraordinary sound that is played either with the nose or mouth, Brian plays an enigmatic, reverberating tone that is felt in the depths of the soul. “The music is haunting. You can bend the notes and the sound that comes from it is just incredible. Matai wood is ideal for the project as it reverberates and gets better the more it is used.” Fellow collaborator, Ariana Tikao, composes and performs waiata in te reo Māori and English, and she is a strong advocate and teacher of reviving Māori birthing practices. Ariana says, “The instrument is important for the revival of Māori birthing practices and there seem to be no artefacts of the instrument found anywhere in the country, so these are taonga.”
Having previously exhibited extensively across the country, including the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and more locally The Suter Art Gallery, Brian along with local artists; performer, composer and previous director of Nelson School of Music, Bob Bickerton; local artist and educator Robin Slow; Ariana Tikao; Holly Tikao and Solomon Rahui, are now part of a collaboration creating art experiences. Culminating in the hugely successful travelling exhibitions entitled, ‘Nga Hau Ngakau’ (Breath of Mine) presenting a journey through Te Ao Māori. A recent show, ‘Rehua: Whakakitea ngā mata o te Ariki’ (Revealing the Many Faces of Rehua) explored stories and histories of Te Wai Pounamu, showed how manu (birds) are the messengers in Māori mythology, with the works celebrating them as the original ancestors.
Brian’s beautiful taonga pūoro complement stunning original paintings by Robin, while Bob, along with the talented Ariana, Holly and Solomon, provide the haunting soundscapes for the exhibitions. Receiving nationwide acclaim Brian says the shows have become more of an ‘experience’ rather than an exhibition. “People are thoroughly embracing their experiences, and say they are inspirational, with many returning several times.”
