Originally published at: https://www.ronenbekerman.com/?p=135857
Driving through rural New Zealand you are bound to see a dilapidated red barn sitting in the middle of a paddock somewhere. These often cheaply built structures served various functions but mostly were used for housing livestock, machinery, grain and/or hay bails. The red colour was also borne out of pure necessity where a cheap locally sourced mix of iron ore and whatever medium or oil was a available to make a weather and rust resistant paint that could withstand the hard summer droughts and extreme weather changes. Even before iron ore was used as a paint on cow sheds, Moari used kokowai, iron ore and other pigments made from the earth, pollen and rotted wood to make paint to decorate and protect wharenui, pou whenua and waka. I really like the utilitarian nature of these sheds and the history that come with that. They have an inherent beauty about them that makes we want to explore more in depth. What I will endeavor to do is covert the “red barn” into something that will connect people to nature in a locale native to its past.
