Te Waka o Rangi is a 500W subwoofer that doubles as a coffee table. A floating walnut top sits on brass standoffs, turned on the lathe in the workshop, above a solid walnut cabinet. The interior is made of 24mm thick European birch ply, separated from the exterior hardwood by butyl, tuned to eliminate vibrations and provide accurate, stable and fast bass.
The timber is American Walnut, grown in Taumaranui and milled and dried in Hamilton. A crack running through the slab is stitched closed with a hand-fitted bowtie inlay.
Te Waka o Rangi is the celestial waka led by Taramainuku. Taramainuku casts a net down to earth, collecting the wairua of our dead. Once a year the waka dips below the horizon as Taramainuku takes the gathered spirits to Rarohenga, rising again a month later to release them to the cosmos as stars. Matariki is te ihu, the bow of the waka.
This project looks for the connection between deep bass and te ao wairua. Something with an immense, room-filling presence that is often felt more than it is heard. A subwoofer that is also a coffee table is ambitious, if only because the vibrations have to be tamed before it works as a table. A lot of mahi went into this one.
Get in touch to arrange a listening or to talk about a commission.