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Filmmaker Chelsea Winstanley has been praised by Apple's boss Tom Cook for an immersive video she made for the Toi Tū Toi Ora contemporary Māori art exhibition which opened at the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki this weekend.
Winstanley (Ngāti Ranginui) directed the video, which is shot entirely on the iPhone 12 Pro Max, in honour of the Toi Tū Toi Ora exhibition which is the largest in the 132-year history of the gallery.
"It’s incredible to see art, creativity and technology come together in celebration of a new exhibit honoring Aotearoa New Zealand’s indigenous Māori people and culture," Apple's CEO Tom Cook said in a tweet Saturday.
"Congratulations to @ChelseaPaparoa and all the artists involved".
On her website, Winstanley said such a large scale Māori art exhibition is really exciting.
"It is the first time the gallery has ever put on a show this size and it happens to be a Māori exhibition; something that is incredibly exciting to me."
"For this piece, I chose to collaborate with artists who also have works in the exhibition - Maree Sheehan composed the music and Taika Waititi provided the narration."
Winstanley said she was inspired by curator Nigel Borell's decision to open the show within the Māori creation narrative.
"That narrative begins in Te Kore - the empty faceless void, where time is suspended in unrealised potential; what I love about unrealised potential is that everything is possible."
Winstanley is making a documentary feature film on the exhibition.