Rachael Hall

These fangufangu are made from brass instead of traditional kofe (bamboo). Working across the diaspora where brass is readily available, the artist experimentes with reclaiming a material introduced through colonial brass bands - which have since become deeply embedded in Tonga - transforming it into a vehicle for customary Tongan practice.

Designed to be played together, the fangufangu create a shared resonance. The artist extends existing practices of tufunga teuteu fangufangu (the art of fangufangu decoration) through carefully inscribing kupesi (patterns) into the brass surface with sand. This process grounds each instrument in fonua (land) through decoration, allowing customary practice to surface through new material and context.