Wao Walk, Kauaʻi Invasive Species Committee
A six-panel mobile mural that walks viewers from the wao akua to the wao kānaka, and shows what invasive species change along the way.
WHY THIS WALL
In 2024 the Kauaʻi Invasive Species Committee commissioned Trysen to paint the Wao Walk, a six-panel mobile mural that travels to schools and community events across the island.
The panels carry viewers from the wao akua, the forest realm of the gods, down to the wao kānaka, where people live. An ʻiʻiwi perches in an ʻōhiʻa lehua forest with a Kamehameha butterfly and a happy-face spider in the understory, a waterfall runs through the uplands, and a nēnē stands on the coast beneath hala and sea cliffs. Native and invaded forest sit side by side, so the change invasive species bring is easy to see.
Each panel was painted on plywood in aerosol and acrylic, built to be moved, set up and seen up close. Schools and events can host a Wao Walk pop-up through KISC.
DRAG TO REVEAL
LAYER BY LAYER
WANT ONE LIKE THIS?
Every wall is designed around what it needs to teach or show the people who see it. Institutional murals run $65 to $70 per sq ft. Small murals start at $3K.
