Whakapapa, phenotypes and whakataukī underpin the work in Whakatau Miromiro. The embroidery on linen was created in conversation with Māori and Pacifika scientists who shared whakataukī around particular species they work with and the relationships revealed through those whakataukī.
Aspects of the work are speculative, delving into possible biological tools for conservation and how whakapapa and mātauranga Māori provide perspectives in how their future application might be ethically navigated.
2022 Bowen Galleries
Ruru Karaitiana (Ngāti Kahungunu, Rangitāne) wrote this gentle song as he sailed past the coast of Africa in 1940 while serving in the 28th Māori Battalion during World War II. With poignant references to loss and longing for home the tune is instantly recognisable. Blue Smoke was recorded with singer Pixie Williams in 1948 and was the first record fully produced in Aotearoa New Zealand. It went on to top the national charts and became an international hit sung by Dean Martin among others.
Fellow Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne artist Terri Te Tau developed a labour intensive karaoke text using stop motion animation of each letter being cross stitched. Terri’s Blue Smoke uses 1940s archival footage from Archives New Zealand showing some of the extensive industrial work undertaken by women to keep the country functioning over this period, in contrast to the war time slogan that; 'For the empire and for freedom, we all must do our bit; the men go forth to battle, the women wait – and knit.' The video is bookended by footage of people smiling and laughing as they prepare food for the return of their loved ones in the 28th Māori Battalion. While welcoming the living this time was also a moment to mourn those who never returned.
Mulitmedia installation, 2015
Te Āhua o te Hau ki Te Papaioea takes a journey through the streets of each of the four houses raided in Palmerston North during Operation 8 in 2007. The hau, mana and mauri of the landscape and its occupants offer an alternative to conventional visual surveillance. Hau is an auric field that encompasses the vitality of man and essence of land. Mana is authority, control and spiritual power – a supernatural force within a person, place or object. Mauri is a binding element between physical and spiritual and can described as the essential quality of a being or entity.
This project is informed by ideas surrounding the often-assumed objectivity of surveillance data, the interpretation of information and the limits of what it can reveal about a person or situation.
Antique spectacles, pāua, mother of pearl. 2015
AuraSecure (2014) was a performance facilitated by Urban Dream Brokerage in Wellington. Guests were invited into a special area on condition of passing a security check which included having their aura screened. Those who failed the test had the option of spending time in the specialised Aura Reconditioning Unit before moving into the seclusion zone.
Ōtākaro (2016) is a visual audiobook collaboration between Bridget Reweti and Terri Te Tau. The science fiction thriller reveals the mysterious circumstances surrounding the disappearance of young Emily Gibson in mid 80's Christchurch. Narrated in part by Teanau Tuiono (in the spirit of Carl Sagan)
Unwarranted and Unregistered (2013) is a multimedia installation where the viewer is invited to watch the windscreen as the van journeys along the main road of Greytown, New Zealand.
Digital heads up displays (HUDs) appear on the windscreen as the driverless van moves along the road, registering and logging the passing cars, scanning the layout of buildings and identifying people on the street while Jose Carreras’ operatic rendition of E Hine E plays on the car radio.
E Hine E is a classic Māori waiata (song) that was utilised by public TV broadcasters in the 1980s and 90s to signal the end of transmission for the night (aka the Goodnight Kiwi).
The Live Jukebox (2011 - ) is a collaboration between Terri Te Tau and Bridget Reweti. The Live Jukebox is an answer to extreme shyness at playing music in public. Listeners can choose from a list of seven or so songs by writing their request on a piece of paper an inserting it into the slot. The pair both sing in the box with Bridget playing guitar and Terri playing acoustic bass.
