Kataraina Poi
Candle Holder
Gisborne Girl's High School
Year 12 Materials Technology, Half-year project
Teacher: Heather McIntyre
Kataraina was thinking about the festive atmosphere of a school reunion when she chose to make a decorative candle-holder and candle as a memento for attendees of the Gisborne Girls' High School 50th jubilee.
The candle-holder was her main focus – it needed to be small, light and inexpensive to produce. She decided to design and work in wire, and was surprised to find that this material was easier and more enjoyable to work with than she initially thought.
Having studied the symbolism of shapes she decided on a koru design, the wire spirals representing growth, a part of Maori culture and an association with "reuniting, unity and coming as one". She also included a heart to represent love and friendship.
Her final design was for a hanging candle-holder, so safety became an important factor. Her design ensured that the candle wax did not drip but stayed in the container.
Kataraina then designed packaging for the candle-holder to help protect it and make it suitable for presentation as a gift. She developed a laminated card that explained in short and simple terms the candle's intended symbolism: a memory of the time spent at school, and friends who might no longer be here.
Kataraina wanted to use packaging material that was as environmentally-sound as possible, so chose corrugated card which breaks down relatively easily. The packaging was easy to mass-produce as it used folds rather than glue or tape. The corrugated card is also strong compared to its weight, making it idea for travellers to transport.
The packaging incorporated the school crest and the jubilee logo, while the poppy (representing the school motto 'Tall poppies bloom here') was used in a design on top that made it self-locking.
"I enjoyed this work because we all had different ideas and did a lot of research and planning on our own. I also learnt the importance of documenting my work".
Teacher comment
"This seems like a simple outcome, but Kataraina had to consider a number of things. She needed to make decisions about different materials and design features. She cleverly incorporated symbolism in the form of the poppy, the koru and the candle itself, as well as the jubilee logo and the school crest.
