Post #198849 by bigbrotiki on Fri, Nov 18, 2005 2:32 PM

BK, I just found this now because it was on the TC opening page today, thank you for saying something.

I am in a difficult position, having had something to do with the revival of this art form. I have to be very careful with any critical utterance, as it might be taken as if Zeus is hurling a lightning bolt at a mortal.

So I generally stay supportive (after all the release of all this creativity IS amazing), and bite my tongue, yes.

Yet it is amazing to every now and then come across people that profess to love my book, and then have them proceed to show me their take on Tiki (a bar, carving, art) and just think "HOW the hell could you do this, if you had the essentials right in front of your face !?"

I am not talking about the level of craftsmanship, which is dependent on experience and practice, but about a sense of style. All my images in the BOT were carefully chosen for their specific qualities, not randomly pulled out of a hat and thrown together on the page. There were many visuals that did not make the cut. Thus I have created an idealized vision of what Tiki was, and feel that THAT is what has inspired so many others.

So I welcome your effort to bring an awareness for a certain standard, a level of artistic quality into the Tiki world.

Michelle said it very well: The visual wealth and variety of Oceanic art forms is so vast, yet too much out there today is repetitive.

It is a fun challenge to find a unique example, re-interpret it in a modern way it and yet stay true to it. That is what makes 50s and 60s Tiki culture unique, the balance of irreverence and at the same time love for the original. Let's continue in that spirit, and good luck to all trying!