Interisland Terminal x Sig Zane Designs "ITO: Interisland Travelwrights" | Piano & Bubbles Event

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to checkout the ITO: Interisland Terminal exhibition/pop-up shop put on by Interisland Terminal and Sig, Nalani, and Kuha`o Zane of famed aloha wear company Sig Zane Designs. Sunday's "Piano & Bubbles" event was an opportunity for people to hear the three each talk about their creative processes and inspirations, first in the exhibition/shop space and then at Nobu where we, as Kuha`o put it, "popped bottles" of champagne, which stimulated more creative discussion ;)

Kuha`o talked about one of his most "magical" projects - designing the cover for Lorna Lim's "Polinahe" album and subsequently winning the Hoku Award for Best Graphics last year. For the graphic designer, these magical projects are ones in which there are such a strong inspiration and chemistry between him and his client or team that the product comes almost instantaneously - a process which he compared to Jay-Z's ability to listen to a track for only a few minutes before getting in the booth and spitting his amazing lyrics.

Sig shared images from his daily life that have inspired his designs, such as the hairy Kamehameha Butterfly and the Kalapana lava flow (which is actually is only two days older than Kuha`o).  He compared his creative process to a hula chant. After performing and repeating the chant for many years, its words soon enough manifest themselves in a new light. For Sig, the same thing can be said of his daily experiences, which eventually take on a new life and interpretation in his prints.

Nalani talked about the migration of the golden manta ray, which inspired her "Kai a Lupe" (Sea of Kites) installation piece, as well as about other meaningful places and family heirlooms that continue to "ground" her. She also had a brief discussion of how we can understand Hawaiian art, which will all display a "power source" in either the piko (navel or center), as in the case of a Hawaiian quilt, or the po`o (head), as in the case of a warrior helmet. If the power source is not a physical form, the artist will give it a name and/or a song. This speaks to the Hawaiian belief that all things, animate or inanimate, possess a spirit.

What I appreciated about this event is that it gave the viewer so much more than his or her own personal interpretation of the art and clothing. We really got to find out what goes behind the work that have made Sig Zane Designs the success that it is, and also got to see the intimate dynamic between the father-mother-son team. Throughout their presentations, Sig would take a jab at Kuha`o over who caught a bigger papi`o and Nalani would ask Sig for the English translation of a particular Hawaiian word and reply, "Thank you, dear." It were those tiny moments that for me were some of the best parts of the evening. 

Nalani mentioned at the end of her talk that it is their team's ability to tap into their "ancestral memory" (which manifests itself as dreams, symbols, or deja vu) that gives Sig Zane Designs its "edge". I think that edge was definitely apparent on Sunday, and I am glad to have been able to witness it live.

The limited-edition print (here in blue/black), designed for the event by Sig, Nalani, and Kuha`o

ITO: Interisland Travelwrights is on display at the Waikiki Parc Hotel from 11 am to 7 pm until Sunday, June 12, and there are a couple more events where you can listen to the Zane `Ohana talk about their work. For more information, visit the Interisland Terminal webpage here.