Wall Hanging – Circle of Life – Kiekie & Pingao

Description

This is a ONE-OFF and ONE OF A KIND Round Wall Hanging “Circle of Life”.

It is made with the (for me) rare fibers Kiekie and Pingao and has a distinct 3D element to it due to the “raised” middle “hole” and pingao ends that are left on and form a “fluffy” ring in the middle of the piece. It has not only two very different sides to it but can also be displayed hanging freely so to show those two sides.

This piece has been exhibited at a international fibre exhibition in New York in 2023 and has only recently returned to us in Aotearoa.

This piece is ALL NATURAL – no artificial color and deserves a special place in any home or office, especially due to the rare nature of the fibers used in this piece.

Material: The White center and base of this piece is made with Kiekie (Scientific name: Freycinetia banksii) – Kiekie is a densely branched, brittle, woody climber native to New Zealand. It is a member of the screwpalm family Pandanaceae. Kiekie has numerous cane-like stems up to 40 mm in diameter, which freely produce aerial roots. It climbs tree trunks or forms dense tangles on the forest floor. Harvesting and preparing this fiber takes practice and time to get it to dry almost white.

The added 3D effect leaves are Pingao (Scientific name: Ficinia spiralis) – Pīkao or pīngao, the golden sand sedge (Ficinia), which is a native sand-binding sedge that plays an important role in New Zealand’s dune ecosystems. Ficinia spiralis is a coastal sedge endemic to New Zealand. Originally widespread, it has suffered severely from the competition with introduced marram grass and animal grazing and now has only a patchy distribution. 

Size: 26″/ 66cm diameter