Meet the Artist Part 3: Michel Tuffery
On being inspired…
My inspiration is actually living here. Living a most amazing life, which is basically what's been given to us. I think before COVID-19, I hadn't come to the realisation that "Oh yeah, it's so cool we're living here.". It's being grateful that we have these reserves - we have the Karori Sanctuary, and I can go snorkelling, diving, surfing, and these are my downtimes.
Even just sitting on top of a hill, get almost blown off at Whitireia, at Porirua, looking at the Cook Strait when the wind's going hard out. That's my time out, just going for a dive or just jumping on the bike and just going here, time out. That's my wind-down.
On music and the influence of German rule in Samoa...
I like my brass band music. I work a lot with the Royal Samoan Police Band and currently with the German Military Brass Band. I'm working on a massive project currently, it’s been one of my ultimate dreams to bring these two bands together and place a lens on the historical relationship between these two nations, my role is to "comb through the history" and my art weaves it altogether.
A lot of the Samoans don't realise why we are still playing old German compositions in the Samoan police brass band. It’s because a lot of us are part Deutsche. There is a family connection and there's a historical connection.
On dealing with anxiety...
When I was a young kid, my mum used to work for Government House and she would bring home computer paper and we used to fight over it. Blank drawing paper was my way out, my therapy. I think art is a tool that gives you that mental time out, and it’s a tool I use all the time.
If you're feeling the pain or stressed, especially through the time we're going through now in 2020, pull out the tool bag. There is nothing wrong with just sitting there and being quiet. And my kaumatua said it to me, he said, "When you wake up in the morning, you just need to listen to what's around you and stop worrying about everybody else. "
And when you get full of angst, or start to get angry, the best thing is just to go for a walk, and just have time out. We all need to have a bag of tools. For me, the best therapy is just picking up a pen.
On the design for the bum huggers…
Woven Stars is inspired by my family. Matariki was coming up and that's where the idea came from. We may move on, but the stars are still up in the sky. Especially around Matariki, I sit out at night and I stare up at the stars, just talking to my passed family. How we weave the mats together and weave the stars together, it's like weaving the family together.
On giving back...
For me, I jumped at this project, as soon as the word, that C word, the cancer word, was mentioned, as it gave me a chance to give back. My mum had breast cancer and others in my family have had cancer, and they were all well supported. I hope we can encourage more people to talk openly about cancer and not being afraid to talk about it. I didn't even have a second thought about being involved because it’s about giving back – manaaki.
On being grateful…
I'm just grateful that I'm having an amazing life. Someone asked me, "what is your dream?". I turned around to them and said, "I'm living it.". That's as simple as I can put it. I'm living my dream. I'm not waiting for it to come to me I hope young ones understand it's up to them to make their own dreams a reality. You've just got to be in love with yourself and just get on with it.