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Alix Ashworth, Make the Net, Feed the Children, 2025
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TitleAlix Ashworth, Make the Net, Feed the Children, 2025
DescriptionAlix Ashworth (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha)
Make the Net, Feed the Children, 2025
Mixed-media installation
“When I was asked to create a piece for Te Ara Ātea I immediately thought of Te Waihora and growing up living in Motukarara on the edge of the lake… Reflecting on how myself and my tīpuna interacted with the lake and the surrounding areas.” – Alix Ashworth
Make the Net, Feed the Children by Kāi Tahu artist Alix Ashworth celebrates Te Waihora Lake Ellesmere. Referencing both Māori and Pākehā textile practices—raraka and quilting— Alix’s varied making practice brings Te Waihora and its landscape into Te Ara Ātea.
Woven through the pieces are the blues and greys of the water and silt of the lake–lagoon, the red kōkōwai, and the yellow of the pīkao found on the Kaitorete Spit, a taoka material used in weaving, which dries to a yellow gold. Pīkao is notably used in tukutuku, the patterns of which are referenced in Alix’s pastel drawings.
Te Waihora is such a significant mahika kai for Kāi Tahu that its original name was Te Kete-Ika-a-Rākaihautū (The Fish Basket of Rākaihautū). Acknowledging its bounty, Alix uses the diamond shape to reference the pātiki found in abundance at Te Waihora. The space between the pieces forms the silhouette of the woven nets used to catch fish at Te Waihora.
Glossary:
Tīpuna- Ancestors
Pākehā- New Zealander of European descent
Raranga- weaving
Mahika kai- food and resource gathering site, the practice for gathering resources
Kāi Tahu- iwi/tribal group of much of the South Island
Pātiki- flounder
Kōkōwai- red ochre
Tukutuku - lattice-work wall panels
Takiwā- district
DateMay 2025 - February 2026PhotographerSam Towse
DescriptionAlix Ashworth (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha)Make the Net, Feed the Children, 2025
Mixed-media installation
“When I was asked to create a piece for Te Ara Ātea I immediately thought of Te Waihora and growing up living in Motukarara on the edge of the lake… Reflecting on how myself and my tīpuna interacted with the lake and the surrounding areas.” – Alix Ashworth
Make the Net, Feed the Children by Kāi Tahu artist Alix Ashworth celebrates Te Waihora Lake Ellesmere. Referencing both Māori and Pākehā textile practices—raraka and quilting— Alix’s varied making practice brings Te Waihora and its landscape into Te Ara Ātea.
Woven through the pieces are the blues and greys of the water and silt of the lake–lagoon, the red kōkōwai, and the yellow of the pīkao found on the Kaitorete Spit, a taoka material used in weaving, which dries to a yellow gold. Pīkao is notably used in tukutuku, the patterns of which are referenced in Alix’s pastel drawings.
Te Waihora is such a significant mahika kai for Kāi Tahu that its original name was Te Kete-Ika-a-Rākaihautū (The Fish Basket of Rākaihautū). Acknowledging its bounty, Alix uses the diamond shape to reference the pātiki found in abundance at Te Waihora. The space between the pieces forms the silhouette of the woven nets used to catch fish at Te Waihora.
Glossary:
Tīpuna- Ancestors
Pākehā- New Zealander of European descent
Raranga- weaving
Mahika kai- food and resource gathering site, the practice for gathering resources
Kāi Tahu- iwi/tribal group of much of the South Island
Pātiki- flounder
Kōkōwai- red ochre
Tukutuku - lattice-work wall panels
Takiwā- district
DateMay 2025 - February 2026PhotographerSam TowseConnections
Subject (Keywords)ArtCollectionTe Ara Ātea Exhibition 2025: Close-KnitTe Ara ĀteaArt at Te Ara ĀteaImageThe Ways of Water
CollectionTe Ara Ātea Exhibition 2025: Close-KnitTe Ara ĀteaArt at Te Ara ĀteaImageThe Ways of WaterAttribution
Written ByErin Lee
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Alix Ashworth, Make the Net, Feed the Children, 2025 (May 2025 - February 2026). Selwyn Stories, accessed 18/10/2026, https://selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz/nodes/view/6987