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MY SPACE

A local park plays a special part in the life of artist Nigel Borell, curator taonga Māori at the Auckland War Memorial Museum

Compiled EMILY SIMPSON / Photograph JANE USSHER Nigel is Pirirākau, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui and Te Whakatōhea.

Curator and artist Nigel Borell finds inspiration outdoors.

Can you describe this space?

This is Tōtara Park in Manurewa, Auckland. It’s a beautiful open space that has a generous native forest with bush walks and mountain bike trails. It’s populated with native kauri, pūriri, rimu and tōtara, and home to plenty of kererū, tūī and pīwakawaka. It’s next to the Auckland Botanic Gardens so it’s a well used and active spot.

What role does it play in your life?

The park is a healthy 30-minute walk from my home and I tend to come up here every other day, making room for these walks between Zoom meetings or at the end of a busy day of online work. It was during the latest series of Covid stay-at-home directives that I came to really love using the park and the gardens. The growing need to look after our personal health at this time was emphasised and I came to rely on this amazing environment to keep me well.

What feelings does it evoke in you?

Walking the trails is a peaceful and calming experience. It’s not uncommon to see and hear tūī, pīwakawaka and kererū calling out or watching you as you walk. It helps me to process my work life and organise and prioritise upcoming project commitments. It keeps me centred and grounded.

How does this place interact with your work?

I suppose in many ways it’s the exact opposite of the work life of a curator and the demands that these institutional environments and roles can require. So the benefits might be more internal and invisible but they are definitely there. It also feeds my artist side. As a practising artist this environment assists me in staying connected to the various ways that I see myself and my broader career in the arts and culture sector, in a holistic way. I’ve been collecting tūī and kererū feathers over the past four months and they will make their way into my next suite of paintings, which is exciting.

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2022-06-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-06-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

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