Bamboozled artist finds a way

It didn't take long for Jeffrey Mau to realise the solution to his final year project was right under his nose. However, the 25-year-old visual arts student from Henderson says he was confused and frustrated at first.
"I started off looking for sustainable material to work with, but wasn't getting anywhere,'' he says. "But when my tutors suggested using bamboo it all fell into place. It's been a great window into my Filipino culture, which I missed growing up here in New Zealand.''
The designs he's creating for the School of Visual Arts' end of year presentation are sculptural and lighting pieces. One is based on the form of a chrysalis, which he's named Kreslis, which is the same word in his native language, Tagalog.
"It's all about new beginnings for me, including using material from South East Asia as well as rediscovering my heritage. I have also learned that bamboo has a higher tensile strength than steel which is great to withstand earthquakes.''
Low-tech bamboo scaffolding is a common sight in high-tech cities like Hong Kong where it is used on high-rise building sites. Because it is flexible, bamboo is less vulnerable than steel to high winds.
The annual art show by 60 graduating Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) students, is a mix of
photography, jewellery, moving images, print, 3D, installation, design, drawing and painting.
The tallest of Mau's pieces, at2.5m-high, uses a single bamboo pole to create curves. He says the objects he has created "lie between the blurring boundaries of art, design and craft - design-art or art with a purpose.
"The aim of these 'experiments' has been to discover how to use bamboo skilfully and to
tell a story of my life. It's also about my experience as a person who's been uncertain of his own cultural identity.''
MIT School of Visual Arts Presentation,
School of Visual Arts, Gate 18, 50 Lovegrove Cres, Otara,
Nov 14, 10am-4pm. Entry free. Ph 968 8780.