![MYSTORY](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/IVOHLOLJG33GPQLQSQC6PAPOTI.jpg?auth=20ade349196e6579027c7a58c29267dfb6ca914fcf6a849c0c8d7ced0be890c2&width=16&height=2&quality=70&smart=true)
Matt Liggins (Ngāti Ruanui) is an architect, artist and teacher and, on October 13 as part of Urban Art Village during LATE NIGHT ART, five of Matt's University of Auckland's School of Architecture & Planning students will create one-day only pop-up architecture structures in the city. These will be part of Artweek Auckland 2020 where Matt is also creating a conceptual performance art piece called It's In The Box Auckland for Urban Art Village, October 13, 5 – 9PM at O'Connell St in the Heart of the City.
I grew up in Tokomaru on a farm that had been in our family for three generations. When I was a kid, I'd hang out on the river and go swimming and catch eels. We'd ride motorbikes and get the cows in. it was a really simple, idyllic childhood in nature. I also loved making huts with my mates. I hung out with a solid bunch of dudes and we had that primordial instinct to build things. We'd dig holes in round hay bales and pull out square bales to make huts in the hayshed, or turn an old water tank into a fort. When I was about 12, my parents built a new house and, because there wasn't much happening in Tokomaru, I'd bike down to the site and watch it going together.
I always excelled at art. Mum tells a story about a psychologist visiting my preschool to do visual insight and recollection tests on the kids. We were showed pictures of different images, and supposedly I smashed it. Another memory from when I was 5, I made a Mexican man out of clay. He was asleep on a fence, wearing a big sombrero and it went in the art competition at the A&P show. It was up against spud men and maquettes of various scenarios, and my clay man won first prize in everything. My parents thought 'holy f***, what's going on here?' But I just loved doing art and did well at it naturally. I didn't think much of it.
My parents sold the farm when I was 16 and we moved to Palmerston North where I went to Palmerston North Boys' High. In my seventh form year, Mr Docherty took my art class to Wellington. We stayed at that old Waterloo Hotel and visited Ian Athfield's house. It was the first time I'd ever seen a house that blew me away. It was that moment I thought, 'yeah man, architecture is definitely the one,' because it showed me the possibilities of architecture and art.