Celebrating the cycles of creation and creativity.

Brave is one of our partners with which we’ve worked on brands like Te Matatini and Chamber Music of New Zealand. Brave had a great concept for expressing the cycles of creativity from the Māori creation narrative. Brave took the lead on creative and Ira bought the cultural strategy and thinking to ground it in te ao Māori.

Chamber Music New Zealand’s 2025 season features some of the most beautiful music composed, with key themes centering around the journey of life.

A uniquely crafted articulation of the journey of sound.

The well known Māori creation narrative journeys through three phases, often aligned to the journey of light. From Te Kore, where all elements for creation are present, but yet to be awakened. Te Pō, in which darkness shifts from gradations of light. Then finally into Te Ao Mārama, in which the creation enters into the world of light, to be experienced.

We wanted to align this same creative process to the experience of sound. Specific language conveys how the journey starts in the mind of the creator. Pūngao oro is the “energy of sound” at its most elemental level. It awakens in the mind and heart.

For that spiritual creation to enter into the physical world, it must cross Te Wheiao, the threshold into the living world. Here sound “strikes forth” into the physical world, an action made by the musician when performing their work. The music enters into the world of light, to be experienced by both performer and audience. This is a cycle of creative energy - repeating, evolving and bringing new things to life in Te Ao Mārama.

The structure of the narrative is in the form of a karakia, an invitation to the spiritual and physical processes that create life to manifest in the musical works presented. It was designed to be said at the commencement of performances. The language is poetic, having a syncopation that is reminiscent of music.

The journey of sound is expressed through transitions of light and colour.

The cultural narrative starts within the mind. Aligning to the traditional Māori creative process, this is likened to darkness. Just as the sun rises, bringing gradations of light and colour until we emerge into the world of light, the colour story reinforces this. We come from a pace of idyllic calm and then an awakening of light. That shifts into vibrant tones of expressive colour, warmth, energy and creativity.