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High-tech exhibit presents Hawaiʻi's monarchy in a new format

Native Hawaiian filmmaker Etienne Aurelius, right, with The Conversations host Catherine Cruz.
HPR
Native Hawaiian filmmaker Etienne Aurelius, right, with The Conversation host Catherine Cruz.

A new exhibit opening Friday in Kakaʻako features Hawaiʻi's aliʻi in a new light. It uses high-tech advances to present the Hawaiian monarchy to a new audience — and it may spark conversations about how and why. The Hawaiian monarchs come to life using Pixar and Technicolor facial reconstruction programs.

Native Hawaiian filmmaker Etienne Aurelius was born on Oʻahu and raised on Kauaʻi homestead land. Aurelius is behind what is billed as the "Aliʻi Atlas: The Royal Gallery of the Hawaiian Kingdom." HPR talked to him about connecting his passion for his culture with his high-tech skills in what he calls a new interactive archive about Hawaiʻi's monarchs.


This interview aired on The Conversation on Jan. 15, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1. 

Catherine Cruz is the host of The Conversation. Contact her at ccruz@hawaiipublicradio.org.
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