Hands of Stone
Grounded in ‘Ōlelo No‘eau: I ka wā ma mua, ka wā ma hope (The future is found in the past)
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In 2021, Anuhea Yagi participated in our collaborative Hui Mo‘olelo program with Hale Hōʻikeʻike at the Bailey House/ Maui Historical Society. In 2022, we captured this audio-recorded talk-story between she and Hōaka Delos Reyes, an expert in the field of stone-on-stone carving (kālai pōhaku). In 2024, professional artists from across the globe submitted proposals to translate this story as a work of public art. Upon selection by a community panel, artist Sasha Hercik entered a period of project development to meet the storytellers, learn more about the context of their story, and infuse the evolving design with a sense of place distinct to the recording.
LISTEN: • Full Recording HERE • Excerpt HERE On April 27, 2024, this animated film short was unveiled at the 2024 Hui Mo‘olelo Film Festival in Kīhei for a packed house. |
Artist Proposal Excerpt & Sample Work
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After listening to all the Hui Mo‘olelo excerpts, it was difficult to pick. I felt a lot of them had wonderful visual representational opportunities and some could definitely be made into short films, but I felt particularly connected to the one by Anuhea Yagi & Hoaka Delos Reyes. Listening to how passionate Anuhea was about the minerals of the earth and being a mother and how Hoaka held space for her and they both were so entwined with the land and their culture was so inspiring. I felt that their connection to the pohaku and Maui's minerals was so deep and strong, and there was so much information and culture given in such a short span of time. Anuhea painted beautiful pictures with her words and Hoaka was so deft and easy to understand. I believe with how this world is now with social media and services like Netflix and Hulu etc, that video is society's primary form of communication and delivery of information, so creating a video about reconnecting with the aina, about the importance of Hawaii's culture and a connection back to the roots of mother nature would be a powerful message to promote not only throughout our community but to share with the world as well.
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About the Artist | sashahercik.com
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As someone who moved to Maui in the sixth grade and has had this beautiful island and culture influence every moment of my upbringing and shape who I am today, I have been searching for a way to get in touch with the local artist community as an adult. I have been working as a freelance digital artist and animator since 2017, with the majority of my work in solo projects and remote work for mainland-based companies. Being able to showcase animation from Maui for Maui seems like the perfect avenue to get more involved in the local art scene and to really open up that chapter for Maui artists.
I am a Kihei-based digital artist with skills in animation, character design, storyboarding and illustration who is passionate about creating visually stunning and engaging art that tells a story. |
Community Consultations
Maui Public Art Youth Task Force
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Uncle Hōaka, Sasha and Nalu Robinson
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Storyteller: Anuhea Yagi
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‘Ōlelo No‘eau: Sissy Lake-Farm
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Project Timeline
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