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Vital Transformations Mauri Ora consists of three exhibitions, a series of music performances and a hui-symposium. It is a partnership project with Te Matahiapo and was commissioned by NPDC as part of CBD Revitalisation. It is supported by WITT. Part of the project involves visually changing the inner city landscape of Nga Motu New Plymouth, which features artist designed vinyl graphics in shop windows and colourful banners hanging from lamposts.

The exhibition Unrealism will take place in a currently unused shop on the corner of Devon and Liardet streets, downtown Nga Motu New Plymouth. It features work by seven Taranaki artists whose work touches on the idea that reality is a window into other realms.

At Koru on Devon Gallery, the exhibition Vital Transformations (also the name of the overall project) includes works by another seven artists who all have a strong connection to the environment. This connection is sometimes intuitive, and at other times involves materials used such as harakeke. Re-using and upcycling materials is also a theme to some of the works.

The third exhibition Art-science+environment includes a diverse range of works. A theme of wai or water runs through the exhibition, which consists of work by tangata whenua and artists who explore nature and the environment. The exhibition is at JD Reid Gallery, and includes some art works that directly explore climate change and global warming, and are based on scientific knowledge. Pointing to a new relationship needed with the environment, images by local environmental consultancy Greenbridge will also be displayed.

Opening on July 6^th at 4.30, the exhibitions run until July 29^th.  Each weekend, there will be a music performance and on Saturday July 28^th 10am-1pm at JD Reid Gallery, the hui will take place. Astrophysicist Roger Malina, artist-scientist Nina Czegledy, Italian Professor and Noema Lab Director Piere Luigi Capucci and colleague Roberta Buiani will present online, alongside those at the gallery – Maata Wharehoka, Dr Jane Richardson a geologist at Massey University and Daniel Woolley of Greenbridge.

An important part of the overall project is to bring together generations, culture and knowledge where these overlap with a concern for the environment. We live in a world where the boundaries of knowledge are changing to be interdisciplinary, intercultural and intergenerational. Vital Transformations Mauri Ora embraces and supports this view, as part of the commitment of Intercreate to resolving environmental issues.