Kihikihi - He Kūaha Whetū (2026)

He Kūaha Whetū - A Stellar Gateway or A Doorway to the Stars

Multidisciplinary artist Jamie Berry's video transforms the projection screen into a quiet portal. Guided by Matariki values, the work invites subtle encounters with ancestry, stars, and memory.

At the heart of the work is the kihikihi (cicada) — a sacred tohu of time, renewal, and endurance across Indigenous cultures. In te ao Māori, the kihikihi signals raumati and the intensifying voice of the whenua. Across other Indigenous cosmologies, it marks cycles of rebirth and continuity. The work allows these resonances to sit together, creating a shared space of listening.

Rather than demanding attention, the work unfolds gently over time. The video is on a loop of approximately 20 minutes.

In this work, Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre becomes a place where:
● Hidden stories quietly surface
● Every day movement intersects with cosmic time
● Viewers are invited into moemoeā (dreaming forward)




This event is part of Matariki 2026, where we're celebrating Matariki with talented artists from Ōtautahi and beyond. Bring your friends and whānau to Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre (4-12 Hōngongoi July) for music, exhibitions, kapa haka, wānanga (workshops), night mākete and much more.