Puiaki Originals

Pāua Collection

Stormtrooper

The plot, characters, and dialog of the Star Wars movies have played a big part of my growing up, childhood, and parenting memories.

The black and white protective helmet of the Stormtrooper conjures up certain imagery for people who recognise this iconic shape. Do all wearers of this outfit think the same, are they human or robots, and what can they really see behind those dark eye holes?

It is the eyes that fascinate me because of the questions about what is behind them. The pāua shell is the perfect material to represent this mystery with its changing patterns, hues and transforming colour. You can feel them saying, 'Look into my eyes...'

Putting the Stormtrooper face on the brilliant bubble-gum pink background gives a thrilling contrast between the soft and the regimented.

Artwork Specification

Dimensions	500 mm x 500 mm
Production	Solid wooden frames with composite layers that are hand painted with acrylic and oil-based paints. Pieces of thin shell are added as inlay details, and clear epoxy resin used to provide visual emphasis.

5,000