ABOUT · MAKING OF SERIES · TANOA BOWL
The making of Tanoa Bowl
A ceremonial form, hand-carved in stone.
FORM
Ceremonial bowl
OCCASION
Charity auction gift
PLACEMENT
Private home, NZ
STONE
Ōamaru limestone
THE PROCESS
From sketch to completion
Click any image to open the full sequence.
THE STORY
"Producing a perfectly round bowl shape by hand is always a challenge — but that's exactly what made it worth doing."
A voucher from Keno Sculpture was auctioned at the 2015 NZFMA Charity Ball and Auction, raising funds for the Neonatal Trust. When Amelia and Solf won the bid, they came with a clear vision: a stone replica of a ceremonial Tanoa Bowl — a form that carried deep personal and cultural meaning for them.
Brett discussed some design elements with the clients — the hibiscus among them — but was given full creative licence over the piece as a whole. That trust shaped everything that followed.
The structural challenge was immediate. Producing a perfectly round bowl form by hand, in stone, is unforgiving work. There is no room for error in the curve, and the leg design had to carry the weight of the whole without compromising the elegance of the form above it.
Brett and Christine delivered the finished piece personally to Amelia and Solf in Auckland — a fitting end to a commission that had begun as an act of generosity and grown into something lasting.
ABOUT THE FORM
The tanoa is a ceremonial kava bowl, central to Pacific Island culture and tradition. Used in formal gatherings and ceremonies, it is a vessel of connection — bringing people together around shared ritual. Carved in the round, with legs that lift it from the ground, the tanoa carries both practical and spiritual purpose. To replicate one in Oamaru stone was to honour that tradition in a new material, built to last.
DESIGN ELEMENTS
The bowl form
Carved entirely by hand. The challenge was the curve — a perfect round in stone, with no machine to guide it.
The legs
Structural and considered. Designed to carry the weight of the bowl while keeping the form light and true to the original.
THE MATERIAL
Ōamaru limestone is a soft, warm New Zealand stone — hand-carved, not machined. It weathers beautifully outdoors and holds fine detail with care.
Available for delivery locally or shipped professionally anywhere in New Zealand or internationally.
Hibiscus motif
Discussed with the clients and incorporated into the surface carving — a reference to place, identity, and the people this piece was made for.
"I loved that they gave me full creative licence. That kind of trust changes how you approach the work — you pour more of yourself into it."
BRETT KENO · SCULPTOR · NEW ZEALAND
FROM THE CLIENTS
"Thank you Brett and Christine for your participation in our collective journey to benefit the babies and families of the Neonatal Trust. The beauty and strength in this piece is evident when we see and touch it every day. We can feel the wairua that began from your mind and heart and followed through your hands into the stone."
AMELIA AND SOLF