My drawing shows how humans try to express themselves, but symbols, nature, and emotions speak in ways that words cannot. The woman reaches for meaning, the abstract face sees beyond language, and the bird, tree, sun, ocean, and sacred symbols reveal truths too deep for speech.

The symbols you can see in my mural are:

• Ankh (Egyptian symbol): life and meaning beyond words, something ancient and universal.
• Eye: seeing and understanding without speech.
• Sun-like symbol: energy, warmth and enlightenment – feelings that are hard to describe fully with words.
• Fire symbol: passion and transformation, emotions that often go beyond language. 
• Infinity: endless ideas and meanings that words can’t contain. 
• Lotus: growth and awakening beyond words.
• Mandala: universal ideas that language can’t fully capture.
• Ripples: show how thoughts and feelings spread outward and are hard to contain in language, like waves moving endlessly. 
• Bird: freedom of thought beyond language.
• Owl: wisdom too deep for language.
• Tree & sun: nature speaks without words.
• Ocean: feeling as deep as the sea, hard to explain. 
• Pink woman: sees and feels beyond speech.
• Black hair woman: shows humans trying to express what words can’t. 
• Eye of the head: observing everything silently and seeing beyond the ordinary. 

Painted by: the artist, at Christchurch East School.

Artist mentor: Kophie Su’a-Hulsbosch.

Installation: Naylor Love. 

Project Management: RCP. 

Thank you to our site partner, Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre.

SCAPE acknowledges Ngāi Tūāhuriri as mana whenua of the land where this artwork stands.