An ongoing series by Sean Philpott
Te Rapu Tūrangawaewae — The Search for a Place to Stand
Ono | Te Rapu Tūrangawaewae
Price by request
ONO | 2025
Sean Philpott — Awa Woodworks
Series: Te Rapu Tūrangawaewae — The Search for a Place to Stand
Medium: Geometric timber assemblage
Materials: River-recovered Kauri, Rimu, Northern Rātā, Pūriri, Tōtara and Kahikatea
Components: 1,080 individually fabricated timber elements
Dimensions: 590 mm flat to flat × 680 mm point to point
Award: Winner, Wall Art category, 2025 NZ Art of Wood
Composition: Hexagonal field with central triangular formation
Geometry: 648 interlocking trapezoids, including 108 within the central triangle
Ono, meaning six in te reo Māori, is a study in time, sacred numerology, geometric harmony and the relationship between the natural world and mathematical order. It belongs to Te Rapu Tūrangawaewae, an ongoing series exploring individuality and belonging through geometric timber assemblage.
The work draws inspiration from numerical traditions associated with the Great Year, a complete cycle of the precession of Earth's axis conventionally represented in some traditions as 25,920 years. This symbolic figure provides a starting point for the composition's mathematical relationships.
At its foundation is the number six, which informs the geometry, proportions and intricate numerical relationships of the artwork.
The composition comprises 1,080 individually fabricated timber elements, divided equally between the central triangular formation and the surrounding hexagonal field. Across its surface, 648 trapezoids interlock to form a continuous tessellation. Exactly 108 trapezoids occupy the central triangle, which accounts for one-sixth of the composition's area.
1,080 ÷ 2 = 540
648 ÷ 6 = 108
These relationships are not incidental details but the underlying architecture of the work. Each element is conceived in relation to the whole, with proportion and repetition creating unity across an increasingly complex geometric structure.
This precision is expressed through six species of river-recovered New Zealand native timber: Kauri, Rimu, Northern Rātā, Pūriri, Tōtara and Kahikatea. Once part of living forests, these trees spent unknown periods in Northland's river systems before their timber was recovered and prepared by NZ Native Riverwood. Their varied grain, natural colour and individual character introduce organic differences in quiet contrast to the exactness of the geometry.
Within this interplay, Ono considers how seemingly disparate elements can find their place within a greater order. What first appears to be an intricate decorative surface reveals itself as a carefully resolved system of relationships, where the individual and the collective are inseparable.
The title Ono, meaning six in te reo Māori, acknowledges the number from which the composition emerges.
Artwork Details
Artist: Sean Philpott
Series: Te Rapu Tūrangawaewae — The Search for a Place to Stand
Medium: Geometric timber assemblage
Materials: River-recovered Kauri, Rimu, Northern Rātā, Pūriri, Tōtara and Kahikatea
Components: 1,080 individually fabricated elements
Geometry: Hexagonal composition, central triangular formation and 648 trapezoids
Year: 2025
Award: Winner, Wall Art category, 2025 NZ Art of Wood
Dimensions: 590 mm flat to flat × 680 mm point to point
Finish: Rubio Monocoat Pure
Timber provenance: Recovered and milled by NZ Native Riverwood
Frame: 18 mm river-recovered Kauri
Mounting: Integrated French cleat
Availability: By enquiry
Shipping: Worldwide, tracked and insured
Priced by the piece — I'll reply personally within a few days.
STILL AVAILABLE
