Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 33, Number 12, 1 December 2016 — Sig Zane brings Kakaʻako history to life [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Sig Zane brings Kakaʻako history to life

By Dave Dondoneau Leaning on his hula roots, Sig Zane and creative team of designers are turning the 60 acres of land under development as the Ward Center master community into a storytelling canvas of Hawaiian history and culture. Their first project was recently completed on the South Shore Market wall, where various print techniques and graphic patterns have created a subtle but bold and regal mural that Zane hopes will give pause to people passing by. He wants visitors who see it to think of the area and the people who inhabited the area long before the high-end master community was built. To that end, placed above one of the entrances to the South Shore Market is the Hawaiian proverb "Ola ka wai mana, ulu a'e ka honua Kukuluāe'o." Translation: "May the sacred waters always llow, nurturing the waters of Kukuluāe'o." It's a nod to the spring waters that eonhnue to flow below the 60-acre parcel of land today. "It is that kuleana, the responsibility of holding on to the stories of plaee that remain a very important, highest priority to us," Zane said. "What we do in our work is bring that mo'olelo to the forefront. "Working with Howard Hughes is really

a treat because there are so many stories of this plaee already and what we want to do is focus on specifics of plaee. Everyone talks of sense of plaee, but we are about 'specific' plaee, uniquely talking about here." Sig Zane Kaiao is the Hilo-based designservice arm of the aloha shirt maker with a mission to educate and share Hawaiian culture. The Howard Hughes partnership was formed through Ann Harakawa of Two Twelve and further deepened with cultural expert Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, who assisted with naming the residential towers

in Ward Village. Sig's son, Kūha'o, is also on the team along with Sig Zane Designs art director Brandy Alia Serikaku and senior graphic designer Chanel Tsang. Todd Apo, vice president of Community Development for the Howard Hughes Corporation, said the partnership with Zane is the first of its kind in Hawai'i and they will move forward telling the area's history through a series of pattems, logos and artwork that will be featured throughout the urban neighborhood. The South Shore Market and Waiea Ward Village, the first residential tower, both opened in November. "We obviously had known and could see the importance of art being a part of the community development as this area got redeveloped," Apo said. "The other primary focus we had is about the history of this plaee, the culture of Hawai'i. "It's an interesting project because there is no blueprint for Sig and his team to follow, no right or wrong. There is no master plan for storytelling art in urban development in Hawai'i because this is a first. It's just a matter of finding the right people to talk to, finding the right guidance and that means finding the right partners. We're relying on Sig and his team," he added. "What will be exciting is the ability to do smaller but more numerous projects through-

out the development now that we have the foundation to work off of. The next tower we are finishing is the Ali'i, and they put together the name for us and we're working on how it all gets incorporated into the Ward Village. That's the kind of continued growth evolution we're trying to do." Hula experience, Zane said, has helped immensely because, like hula, his team is trying to tell a story. "In hula we have that responsibility of interpreting and translating in form," he said. "Here, we are just putting it on a building, or sidewalk. Basically it is the same thing; telling that story in form." Zane said he hopes to go back as far as possible when telling the story through art. One of the images he uses is taro, whieh was planted in the area by the Ward family when it was wetlands. "We bring taro to the forefront because of its many other meanings," he said. "It symbolizes family. In building this community that is a very important value that we want to emphasize. The Hawaiian perspective of family is really important. "For example, when the poi bowl is on the table everything is ealm. You cannot argue, you cannot bring any anger to this table. That's a very important value to reinforce in art here. That's our intent." ■ Dave Dondoneau is a freelance journalist based in Honoluiu. Reach him atwritingbydd@ gmaU.com.

Sig Zane's new mural graces the South Shore Market. - Photo: CourtesyofThe Howard Hughes Corporation