Description
Tivaevae or patchwork quilting was introduced in the 19th century by the missionaries wifes to the Cook Islands. The mama’s adapted it to their own unique style with palettes that are highly vibrant, reflecting the flora of the Pacific. Tivaevae rapidly became a contemporary replacement versus the use of traditional tapa, holding high cultural value. Ula tivaevae reflects on how the Pacific became the ‘Proving Ground’ for nuclear testing beginning on Bikini Atoll, 1946 and continued to be a testing ground well into the mid 1990’s and prompts the notion that there is a residue to exposure generationally and environmentally.
