A Ngāti Waewae story

Seamless looping short film and spatial design

This experiential video work stands at the entrance to the newly built Paparoa Visitor Centre at Punakiki in the rohe of Ngāti Waewae on Te Wai Pounamu's west coast.

The work is based on a pūrākau about a tīpuna of the local tribe Ngāti Waewae, Tamaahua, and the pursuit of his wives from Tuhua Island in the north to Arahura Valley in the south.

Spoiler alert... his four wives come to rest in the Arahura river and are forever immortalized as varieties of pounamu - Kahurangi, Aotea, Kawakawa and Tangiwai.

r e m o t e  collaborated with our friends at Gibson International for over a year to visualise the unusual space - a  50m long entrance corridor, populating it with large plinths made of a range of native timber, representing the wāhine pounamu, and a large video wall comprised of 8 screens in a poutama pattern.

We also produced other video installations in the space.

Creative Director & Production Dan Mace

Project Producer Gary Scott for Gibson International

Artists

Dan Mace

Ryan Bird

Jade Paynter

Composer & Sound Design Chris Sinclair

Spatial design

Dan Mace & Ben Barraud for Gibson International

Moko Kauae by Fane Robinson

Character Shoot

Director  Dan Mace

Producer Gary Scott

Production Manager  Vanessa Wells 

Director of Photography Julian Vares 

Sound Recordist Joseph Veale 

MakeUp Brae Toia

Wardrobe  Rona Ngāhuia Osborne

Lighting Zac Beckett-Knight 

Props Chris Reddington

Talent

Jerry Pu 

Te Amo Tamainu

Chantal Tumahai

Brooke Parker

Maia Tonihi 

An exploration of the Carbon Cycle

6 minute seamless looping animation

In late 2023  r e m o t e  was commissioned to produce a short film to fill a small circular theatre space in the middle of Te Puawaitanga - the new Science and Technology center at MOTAT (the museum of Transport and Technology) in Tāmaki Makaurau.

The brief - a 6 minute film explaining the Carbon Cycle to 6 year olds.  Our first question was "what's the carbon cycle?"

Writer/Director Dan Mace

Exhibition producers Tanya Wilkinson & Esther Tobin for MOTAT

Artists

Dan Mace

Ryan Bird

Fraser Munro

Sound design

Dan Stenhouse

Voice Talent

Stormy Kay

Waimirirangi Kay

Hawaiiki Kay

In 2024 we had the honour of collaborating with Atamira Dance Company kaihautū and choreographer Bianca Hyslop in her theatrical dance performance KA MUA KA MURI.

r e m o t e produced a series of animated video projection loops illustrating key concepts embedded within the work.

From Atamira's website: "Bianca's work showcased urban Māori experiences by transcending loss-based narratives, embracing multifaceted identities that encompass divine, ancestral, and human elements, and weaving stories of empowerment, transformation, and resilience to inspire a brighter collective future."

Our own Rona Ngahuia Osborne designed the costumes and staging for the show. A key aspect of the set design was a 12m wide rotating "spaghetti curtain" which provided a dynamic 3 dimensional projection surface that the enabled the incredible Atamira dancers to interact with our animations.

Another highlight of the production was the opportunity to work alongside the internationally acclaimed composer Eden Mulholland. His immersive atmospheric soundscape elevated our images and the performance as a whole to another level.

a brief animated introduction to the history and future of the Wai262 treaty claim

commisioned by Te Taumata Whakapūmau o Wai262 and Tiaki Taonga in liason with Te Pae Roa

www.wai262.nz

www.tiakitaonga.com

www.tepaeroa.org

designed and directed by dan mace

score and sound mix by Paddy Free

Te Pae Roa production manager - Wakaiti Dalton

inital concept - Ariann Gage-Dingle

A hip hop documentary focused on indigenous relationships with hip hop culture in New Zealand.

Produced and directed by Anahera Parata
Edited by Lisa Holder
Titles and graphics by Dan Mace with flame support from Hannah Walker

promo spot for a new Māori tourism initiative

wriitten & directed by dan mace

dop Jos Wheeler

score & sound design by Dan Nathan

produced by r e m o t e

the Manea centre in Opononi is dedicated to one of Aotearoa’s most prestigious navigators, one of this nation’s very first arrivals - Kupe.

We were commissioned by The Gibson Group and Nga Hua o Kawariki Trust to create a 20 minute 4d theatre experience, telling just a few of the many stories surrounding this incredible rangatira and his progeny.

Its an action packed multisensory adventure with live performers in front of multiple projection screens featuring ancient taniwha, mighty ocean going waka, spirit guardians, and an octopus with nine brains.

The centre opened in December 2020. A more substantial promo reel for this project is in development, but for now here are just a few highlights….

The people of Ngāti Kuri in Te Tai Tokerau have entrusted Auckland Museum with the enormous jawbone of Rehua, a spermwhale who washed ashore on Twighlight beach near Kaitaia.

We worked with students of nearby Ngātaki and Te Hapua schools to produce two animated films that play within the case that houses this 4m long jawbone, bringing a dynamic energy to an otherwise inanimate artefact.

One film describes the journey Rehua has made to get to the museum, the second tells the story of Tohoraha the whale and Kauri the great tree, and explains the relationship between these precious ancestors.

An explanation of the concepts of colonisation and decolonisation from an indigenous Aotearoan perspective.

Commissioned by RNZ with the support of the NZ on Air Digital innovation Fund
Drawn, directed and animated by Dan Mace
Written by Kahu Kutia
RNZ Script editor: Veronica Schmidt
Narrator: Shannon Haunui-Thompson
Music by Paddy Free (courtesy Native Tongue music)
Produced for RNZ by Luke McPake

A LoadingDocs 2020 documentary

Kauri are dying. A traditional Māori healer has one last chance to save an entire forest, one tree at a time.

Tohe Ashby is looking for answers held within the ancient knowledge of the first nations of Aotearoa – mātauranga Māori. Discover the roots of indigenous medicine in a final bid to save the last of these great trees. E ara! Ka tangi te Kauri.

“Māori knowledge and Western science, they are not the same. They are not on the same path.” – Tohe Ashby

Director: Ngāriki Ngatae Producer: Karen Sidney

titles and graphics by r e m o t e

In late 2017 i was invited to collaborate with my good friend Jonny Kofoed from Assembly on a large scale LED light installation on Auckland's iconic Harbour bridge.

It was a great exercise in design restraint, given that the lights are only fixed to skeletal framework of the bridge, so no comfortable box to make pictures inside.

As collaborating director I mostly worked on finding and telling the story embedded within the 6 minute launch display. The LEDs are a permanent feature of the bridge, I hope to get another chance to build content for this 1000 meter wide canvas again sometime.

The digital render video is a pre-show visualization using the Unreal VR engine. The main difference on the night was that the LTSA who administer the bridge gave us (very last minute) permission to switch the streetlights off on the bridge to maximise impact.

The live edit video captures a bit of the energy and scale of the event live on the night.

The show was viewed by thousands of people both in Auckland and around the world through multiple streaming feeds.

Special thanks to ATEED, Vector energy, Jordan Frost for his sweet aerial shots and of course www.assemblyltd.com

Elemental is a 4 screen projected work presenting motion portraits of the four fundamental elements of our planet - earth, air, fire and water.
in exhibition:
WHENUA - Rona Ngahuia Osborne + Dan Mace
ImagineNATIVE arts festival Toronto 2016

HAEATA is a series of large scale, light-based artworks centered around the 14 Tūpuna Maunga (ancestral mountains) around Tāmaki Makaurau.

Aucklanders and visitors to the city know of the historical occupation of the Tūpuna Maunga by Māori, and may recognise the terraced areas and other archaeological features should they visit these sites, however the fundamental significance of these treasured places is often not fully realised.

The continuous relationships of Mana Whenua with the Tūpuna Maunga express unbroken, living connections across the oceans and time.

HAEATA seeks to acknowledge these relationships, and share the stories of these precious landforms with a wider audience.

HAEATA has activated twice so far, once in January 2016 on the island of Rangitoto, and again in June 2016 at Maungakiekie One Tree Hill. We hope there'll be more - watch this space.

Whaikorero unpacks and explores the deep artform of maori oratory and the kawa or protocols that dictate behaviour on the marae during powhri and other formal occasions.

For season 2 we were approached to design and direct a series of animations demonstrating different practises on marae around the motu.

in 1895 celebrated author Mark Twain traveled to NZ as part of a global speaking tour. in this series Oscar Kightley follows his footsteps and explores his stories.

We designed and built the show titles and branding, and directed a shit ton (100+) of animated graphic sequences… we can’t post these yet as the show hasn’t aired, but for now… here’s the titles anyway.

The series was produced by JAM TV for TVNZ One. It will air late 2018.

i just wish i had more time to lapse.

Whetūrangi is an immersive video installation created by Dan Mace and Rona Ngahuia Osborne.
The work is comprised of 7 seamlessly looping videos on screens in a darkened space.
In these single screen examples we have compiled a section of each loop and arranged them as the screens are placed on the wall.
Whetūrangi was first installed at the Pah Homestead as part of the 2015 Auckland Matariki arts festival. In early 2016 it was shown as part of the Māoriland Film Festival in Ōtaki. In October 2016 Whetūrangi is travelling to Toronto Canada to be installed at the A Space Gallery as part of the 2016 ImagineNATIVE indigenous media festival.

more info:
Whetūrangi
(verb) (-tia) to appear above the horizon (a star or the moon). 
Most often used in the passive form:
Tirohia atu nei ka whetūrangitia Matariki, te whetū o te tau.
Look,The Pleiades, the star of the year, appears above the horizon.
 
Whetūrangi is an immersive audio-visual installation that gives faces to the constellation we know as Matariki. Matariki is a group consisting of seven individual stars: Matariki, Tupu-a-nuku, Tupu-a-rangi, Waitī, Waitā, Waipuna-a-rangi and Ururangi.
Whetūrangi presents each of these tūpuna whetū, these ancestral stars, in a humanoid form. 
Seven wāhine (the seven sisters), are represented by seven separate video loops arranged in the shape of the constellation. 
The style of costume and general presentation of each of the wāhine is carefully constructed to reflect characteristics of the star she represents.Whetūrangi features a rhythmic, musical soundscape produced by the tūpuna whetū depicted. 
Some play taonga puoro, some use vocal sounds and words. 
 
The seven loops are of differing durations - as a result the soundscape is organically evolving, and will never be the same twice. 
Together these stars produce an engaging waiata: he tangi whetū. Playing together in the darkened room, this waiata becomes a wānanga – an immersive, educational experience that presents the seven stars of Matariki in a culturally enriching environment.
 
the artists would like to acknowledge our production team for their energy and support in creating this work:
camera and lighting Mairi Gunn
sound Mike Mccree
performer Huia Mārama Osborne
assistant Ngaio Matariki Osborne-Mace

This seamless looping animation is played across three 50inch OLED panels at the entrance to Ko Waitangi Tēnei, the permanent exhibition in the Waitangi Treaty Grounds Museum, which opened in February 2016.

2 x 3m curved screen projection loop on permanent exhibit at the museum of Waitangi. This loop is a stylised Taki (or Wero), to challenge and welcome the audience as they move into the exhibition space. As aspect of this work is a soundtrack featuring a pūtatara conversing with an ancient dutch bugle which are both on exhibit nearby.

Every good film festival needs a trailer to tell people to turn off their phones, and the Māoriland International Indigenous Film Festival in Ōtaki is no exception.

A collaboration with renowned artist Dr Brett Graham (Ngāti Koroki Kahukura) as part of an exhibition at Te Papa Tongarewa in Wellington. The show was called Tai Timu, Tai Pari, Tainui: Journey of A People. As a descendant of Tainui waka it was a great honour to be invited to create work for this show. This piece, called Maramatanga, was projected onto a circular screen in the ceiling of a darkened room, and asked viewers to lie in the dark in a meditative state, echoing of the teaching style of ancient wānanga.

Remote & Blue Bach Productions won a contract with the Ministry of Education to promote a learning resource for families about the benefits of learning in Māori medium education. Tainui Stephens directed a series of interviews featuring real people talking about their own experiences of te reo Māori, and I was lucky enough to draw pictures while I listened to them. Here are a couple of their stories.

in early 2015 I had the opportunity to collaborate with a bunch of talented individuals to create a visual experience to celebrate the Cricket World Cup being held here in NZ and another nearby country that also plays cricket called Straya.

The main other guy was the legendary Lakshman Anandanayagam of Creature, who also cut this rad showreel to help document the epic amount of work we did on some challenging surfaces.

Oh yeah 1.2 billion people watching. no pressure.

Props also to the other lovely chaps/chapesses on the gig, including Pak Peacocke, Shona McCulloch, Marg Slater, Kim Baldwinson, and Jon Baxter.

I was comissioned by Auckland Museum to create 2 projections with immersive soundscapes as part of the Moana:My Ocean exhibit in 2013.
This piece, entitled Te Korokoro o Te Parata (The great throat of Parata) explores the ancient stories surrounding a fierce Taniwha who inhabits the Kermadec Trench to the north of New Zealand.
It is said that the in and out breaths of Parata create the high and low tides... and that if you turn your back on him, he'll suck you to the depths.
Given the incredible depth, and active volcanic nature of this treacherous seascape, this is highly possible...

credits:
Concept: Brad Haami
Animation, Script & Direction: Dan Mace remote.co.nz
Edit, VFX, Smoke finishing: Lakshman Anandanayagam - creature.co.nz
Soundscape audio production: Joel Haines joelhaines.co.nz
Narrator: Ngaio Matariki Osborne-Mace

This sequence was part of the New Zealand day performance at the Shanghai World expo in 2010.
It was projected onto an arrangement of semi translucent silk drops 4 layers deep across a 48 meter stage.

this sequence was for the finale number and uses a hand drawn text, kowhaiwhai and re-contextualised elements from a number of paintings by Shane Cotton (used with permission).

The project was produced by Mike Hodgson of The Dub Module for New Zealand Trade and Enterprise

I designed, composited, and animated the work, and hand drew a bunch of the layers.

4 coloured ststion IDs for a cable channel dedicated to MONEY. remember to wash your hands.

This seamless loop was projected onto a circular bulkead 8mx6m across. It stood as part of the Tainui Tai Pari exhibition at Te Papa Tongarewa in Wellington. It uses drawings of takarangi (open spirals) by Pei Te Hurinui Jones from the Te Papa archives.
Created in collabration with Dr Brett Graham.

I created the identity, titles, graphics and set elements, and set design for the 2013 season of Native Affairs on Māori Television, hosted by Mihingarangi Forbes and produced by Annabelle Lee.

Tracing the DNA of hot TV stars and following them around the world to meet relatives they didn't know they had... TV gold.

produced by JAM TV for TVNZ one.

in a tribute to seminal NZ band Dragon, seminal NZ band Supergroove perform 'Rain' live at the Vodafone NZ music awards 2011. to build the screen visuals I channeled my 1980's childhood, including the 8bit atari 2600 gaming console that I always wanted but never got.

... anyway it was awesome to work with such a dynamic stage design. low res LED screens do fun things texturally in this setup too. nice one team.

Remote produced a package of projected content for the touring exhibiton THE AZTECS at Te Papa Tongarewa. We were ucky enough to work alongside the talented and awe inspiring team at Workshop E, who built a scale replica Aztec sacrificial temple that was about 15m high. The AV assets created for the show included moving aztec heiroglyphs, a projection that filled the exhibition hall and shifted from day to night and back every 15 minutes, and this sequence which showed different symbolic aspects of the Aztec calendar. This played down in the dungeons of the temple and has a slightly creepy soundtrack.

Album cover artwork and layout for Charles Royal.

a quick & random throwback to a gig we did with the legendary Dub Module at the Aotea Centre in Auckland for the Matariki festival 2011...

the screen is 100mm LEDs spanning 16m x 6.4m high - super low res, super punchy, super black blacks.

all in all it was a fun way to fill a big space with light. thanks Mike!

Swagger - Smartphone stories told by rangatahi, for rangatahi (and anyone young at heart).

Te series is produced by Hinewehi Mohi at Raukatauri Productions for Māori Televsion.

We designed and animated the titles, collaborated with the show director Paul Thompson on the titles edit, and shot a couple of sneaky elements shots - chur to my daughter Ngaio for her excellent hand modelling skills. chur.