Current and recent Projects
Over the years, the Tiapapata Art Centre has implemented a number of projects that place creativity at the centre of development.
Upu ma Tala Heritage Talanoa Series (UNESCO, 2025)
The booklet can be read here.
Upu ma Tala Heritage Talanoa Series
The Upu ma Tala Heritage Talanoa Series (September–December 2025) was implemented by the Tiapapata Art Centre Inc. with support from the UNESCO Office for the Pacific States in Apia. Developed in close collaboration with Ms. Sara Garcia de Ugarte, UNESCO Regional Programme Specialist for Culture, and Ms. Van Anh Nguyen, Pacific Heritage Coordination Assistant, the Series used Talanoa — relational, dialogic exchange grounded in Pacific ethics — as both a methodology and pedagogy for safeguarding endangered material knowledge in Samoa.The Series title derives from the proverbial expression: “O tama a tagata e fafaga i upu ma tala, a o tama a manu e fafaga i fuga o lā‘au.”People are nourished by words and stories just as birds are nourished by blossoms.The proverb is often interpreted to mean that human beings thrive on oral traditions and knowledge imparted by words and stories. However, an elder consulted during the project, Sister Violia Mo‘a, emphasized a deeper ecological reading: humans too may eat from the blossoms of certain trees. Thus, the phrase may also affirm that humans and birds share ecological space and sustenance — and that the relational space (vā) between humans and other life is integral to wellbeing and survival. This expanded reading beautifully aligns with UNESCO’s ethos that cultural knowledge is inseparable from ecological stewardship.
The Series revived or strengthened six endangered heritage domains:1.Fagufagu — nose flute making and playing2.Pā-alo-atu — composite bonito lure making3.‘Afa — coconut sennit production4.Va‘a — canoe carving5.Siapo — bark-cloth art; design and production6.Ipu ‘ele — pottery revival through experimental archaeologyMore than 200 people participated directly in the workshops and Talanoa sessions. Films previously produced by Galumalemana were shown as part of the Talanoa and many hours of footage and extensive photographic documentation were captured during the series. A first film describing all the artforms explored has been produced and posted online with hundreds of views recorded in the first few days. Two public exhibitions featured objects and practices made under the Series. Sessions were led by master practitioners, elders, craftspeople, apprentices, and researchers. This list included Saia Tu’itahi and Tau‘ili‘ili Alpha Maiava (who joined the session on Zoom), Alatina Tikeri Matamua, Makulata Taua, Rebecca Tautala, Tusolo Aumale, Lamarben Tuipe‘a, Sanele Siloto, Professor Helene Martinsson-Wallin, Helena Andreeff-Laurin, Staffan Laurin, and many others.
The plenary culmination of the project on Human Rights Day, 10 December 2025, was attended by many dignitaries including Their Highnesses Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese and Masiofo Filifilia Tamasese, the Minister of Education and Culture, Hon. Aiono Dr Alec Ekeroma, Mr. Umar Sardar Alam Director of the Regional UNESCO Office for the Pacific States, ambassadors, diplomats, artists, community leaders, youth, artists and artisans, and some international guests. The event highlighted the profound links between intangible cultural heritage and cultural rights as articulated in Article 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, and Samoa’s national cultural policy framework.The Series demonstrated that safeguarding is not only about preservation — it is a living practice. It affirmed that Indigenous knowledge systems and Western scientific paradigms are not separate, but porous and mutually illuminating. From REM sleep science resonating with ancestral dream-invocation practices, to hydrodynamics embedded in lure crafting, to experimental archaeology validating prehistoric ceramic traditions, Upu ma Tala showed that heritage is a dynamic field of innovation and insight.
