Dunedin exhibition Mga Kuwento sa Pagitan shares Filipino migration stories through designer Denise Narciso and eight Kiwinoy creatives

Filipino New Zealand designer and Otago Polytechnic principal lecturer Denise Narciso's Master's project exhibition Mga Kuwento sa Pagitan (Stories in Between) was scheduled to run in an empty shop space on George St in Dunedin from 10 to 17 October, drawing on her own move from the Philippines and the stories of eight Filipino New Zealand creatives.

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Filipino New Zealand designer and educator Denise Narciso planned to share her insight into migration, identity and belonging in a new exhibition in Dunedin this month, the Otago Daily Times reported. Narciso, a principal lecturer of design at Otago Polytechnic, worked with Dunedin Dream Brokerage to bring her Master's project, Mga Kuwento sa Pagitan (Stories in Between), to empty shop space at 125 George St, where it was scheduled to run from 10 to 17 October with free admission.

The immersive, story-led exhibition explores migration, identity and belonging through Narciso's own experience of moving from the Philippines to New Zealand, alongside the lived experiences of eight Filipino New Zealand (Kiwinoy) creatives. Narciso gathered their stories through kwentuhan, the Filipino practice of storytelling through conversation, and said the project was inspired by the interconnected storytelling structure of the Filipino teleserye.

"Mga Kuwento sa Pagitan is a story of what it means to live between worlds — between cultures, between places, and between who we were and who we are becoming," Narciso said. The exhibition was planned as an immersive environment of large-scale illustration, moving image, sound, text and layered works.

The programme listed an opening on Saturday 10 October with a shared Filipino gathering of food, live music and conversation, and a series of Tambayan sessions developed with the Otago Filipino Students Association. Dunedin Dream Brokerage broker Jess Covell called it "such a special project, bringing Filipino storytelling, traditions and cultural practices into our community". The brokerage, established in 2015, activates vacant urban and retail spaces with support from Dunedin City Council and Otago Polytechnic.