A celebration of Pacific culture was fused with technology as AUT University’s “digital fale” showcased the work of Māori and Pasifika media and arts students at the 2011 Pasifika Festival Day this weekend.
Representatives from the Pacific Media Centre, new Graduate Diploma in Pacific Journalism and AUT’s Pasifika Student Support team spent the day sharing campus life and achievements with passersby.
With large TV plasma screens and Mac computers displaying visual art works, documentaries and digital media produced by AUT students, the fale was part of a larger celebration of Pacific culture with dance, food, music and crafts from nations around the Pacific on display.
According to estimates from Auckland City Council, 200,000 people were expected to have passed through Western Springs Park which was turned into a Pacific “island” for the day.
Ten “villages” representing individual islands were spread throughout the park, and offered visitors a diverse range of cultural experiences.