Big images put faces to future of community

Glen Innes 3-year-old Koalani Patuwai watches her image being put up as part of an international community art project. Picture / Richard Robinson

It must have been quite strange for young Koalani Patuwai, 3, to see her face hugely enlarged and plastered to the side of a building in Glen Innes.

And so too for Dolly Walker, 84, whose spirit and wide grin brightened the side of another wall in the East Auckland suburb yesterday.

But the toddler and kuia took it all in their stride, as their giant portraits told a little piece of their community's story.

The black-and-white posters are part of international art project, Inside Out, which seeks to transform messages of personal identity into pieces of artistic work.

The New Zealander charter is called Face to Face, and is being orchestrated by Glen Innes-based Production Company Mad Ave Studios.

The project involves a large number of Glen Innes residents who took part in an initial workshop that was held at Ruapotaka Marae to brainstorm themes around identity, storytelling, connectivity and community.

The posters were put up around the community yesterday and the project is being officially launched today.