Modern Tongan lali wins design awards [1]
Tuesday, October 10, 2017 - 19:27. Updated on Friday, January 26, 2018 - 18:27.
The traditional Tongan lali, or wooden drum, has had a makeover by Massey University graduate, Rachael Hall, who is half Tongan, and is winning design awards around the world.
Pato, meaning to strike or hit, has won a Red Dot Award (to be awarded this month), one of the most prestigious design competitions in the world, a 2017 Gold Award in the NZ Best Design Awards, and was national finalist in the international James Dyson Award.
Rachael was inspired to connect with her Polynesian heritage and designed and handcrafted the instrument ‘Pato’ herself while working on her honours degree in Industrial Design, at the Massey’s College of Creative Arts.
“I wanted to rejuvenate an instrument that’s not so recognised anymore and introduce it into the modern digital environment where it can be appreciated and adapted by a range of musicians and blended with other instruments and genres.”
Lali
While the traditional lali generates only one or two pitches and is heavy to carry, Pato is portable, tuneable and electronic, bringing the sound of the Pacific into the modern digital environment. Pato also has an internal pick-up enabling it to be hooked up to modern technology still allowing the natural lali sound to come through.
“I wanted to make an instrument that was tuneable so the musician could adjust the pitch depending on what they were playing; I wanted it to be portable because there is a high demand for easily transportable instruments, especially for gigging musicians in compact cities; and I wanted it to be electronic because I think technological relevance is important in today’s music world – so giving it the option of being electronic as well as acoustic.”
Massey University Associate Professor, Rodney Adank, of Ngā Pae Māhutonga – The School of Design, said Patō is a lovely integration of traditional performance with digital technology and has great potential to be commercialised.
“Rachael spent a lot of time ensuring it was true to its Pasifika origin and in its final form it is a beautiful object.”
Pato is made out of pale maple wood for durability with darker walnut end caps engraved with a ring of Tongan motifs.
“I used maple because it’s a hardwood with an even grain so when playing along the drum the sound quality remains consistent but also it’s strong enough to get that whole ‘performativity’ that you get with Tongan playing – it’s quite a physical experience,” said Rachael.
The Pato project brought two of Rachael’s great passions together, music (she plays the violin) and design. However, her twin brother, a professional drummer working in London, assisted by testing and playing the instrument and returned to perform on the drum at Rachael’s final presentation for her degree.
She said he is “looking to adapt it to a contemporary drum kit so it brings his Tongan culture into his every day music life.”
Rachael is keen to see Pato manufactured and will continue designing in the musical space.