Chimes charm continues for pupils

HANNAH FLEMING 04.09.13 Taranaki Daily News

Wind chimes decorated with the hopes and dreams of Taranaki school children were given back to the kids yesterday - minus the hopes and dreams.
Room 9 at Mangorei School painted 31 of artist Tiffany Singh's 1001 chimes that were used in her exhibition What is the colour of the breeze? during the Taranaki International Arts Festival.
Room 9 children, the youngest class to take part, were urged to think about what they wished for in life, and for their community, when they were painting.
Ms Singh said throughout the festival many of the chimes were broken down in the weather, which, under the Eastern belief system, meant their wishes had left the chimes and had been released into the world.
When asked what some of those wishes were, it was clear the kids had thought long and hard about it.
"I wished that one day I will be a dragon," said one. "To be the greatest All Black," said another. "I wished to be a millionaire," someone called from the mat.
One wish that perhaps brought everyone back down to earth was Olivia Russell's, who wished "to have really nice friends".
The eyes of all the kids had lit up when the class went to see the exhibition, said teacher Kate Martin, and yesterday they were excited to get their creations back.
Joel Turnball, 9, maker of the All Black wish, said he planned to hang his chime on the farm.
About 20 Taranaki schools were involved in the project, and Ms Singh said it had been part of a wider project called Fly me up to where you are, which she had worked on with more than 15,000 students.
The idea behind her project was to get students visualising their future. She said it had been a pleasure to be part of the Taranaki arts festival, and experience the positive feedback her installation received.
"It's certainly been on a lot of Facebook pages," she said. "It's really nice to be able to produce a work that has been partly done by the community, for the community. It gives them a sense of ownership and I become more of a facilitator, rather than an artist."