Bottled Ocean 2114 Pulima Arts Award MOCA Taipei part 2 Tena Koutou Nihao ehoa ma mes amis ; The Wakapounamu continues on its haerenga journey traversing the bottled ocean of Te Moananui. The mutated Mangopare shark guardians continue their role as kaitiaki escorting and protecting the plastic starship Takitimu. She travels further and further across the near and far horizon of Tangaroa, guided by the stars, clouds and winds, stopping at each scattered surviving atoll outpost, - offering news and encouragement to nga morehu- Those who have adapted... those who survive. This project was directed by its own kaupapa,- purpose. It is a defining stage in my art process and in my lifes journey - it fills me with the ominous feeling of its completely own onset, its own mauri and its own IhiIhi - it carries these onboard itself it seems. I feel compelled to write this down because there are so many layers and depths in this kaupapa - across time, across space, across the vertical, across the horizontal, across the near and across the far- and it has changed me in ways that i know that there is no turning back or looking over my shoulder. The plastic itself is so much a part of me now and i am part of it, to say the least. I remember some years ago Filipe Tohi warned me saying that the perspex has a wairua, a spirit, - his implication was that its toxic aspect, released during carving, can cause irreparable harm or damage - somehow i have assimilated so much of it into my body and my pysche that you could say i have undergone a directed mutation resulting in a semi -immunity and an ability to have a relationship with it; - in the form of love through sheer knowing. I wrestle, I wrangle I shape, I form , I fashion, I caress,, i stroke smooth it, I inhale/exhale, I sweat over it, bleed copies amounts of blood through lacerations, polish, join, bind, tie, attach, suspend and give birth to creations that to me seem completely normal and give me momentary satisfaction. There is so much going on in this installation - the alignment of every single element in it, spacaly - in breadth, length and depth -in vertical, horizontal and diagonal, from Maui standing atop the stairway to heaven through to the alignment of sun, moon, stars and winds. The rear projection of the Atua Tangaroa inside his undersea house Tonganui -constantly changes in shadow and effect rarely revealing itself fully and only for a fleeting moment in time. As Reinhart said - the projection is more than a AV exercise or element- it is beyond the TV screen or talking media device - The result is a spacial occurrence where the images and the carvings meld into a complete continuity, using light to render a shifting boundary between foreground and background, - creating a oneness The changing light of the undersea landscapes, the rippling shadows cast across the entire installation, The minds eye is drawn into the only major colour source in the entire installation- the central commanding blue visage of Tangaroa, the true colour of Te Moananui - in depth. The plexiglass is faceted almost to infinity- hewn directly with haehae and pakati into the unforgiving surface by imperfect human hand - the result is a sparkling dance that refuses to be measured - my supreme joy. In this situation of this project there was everything at stake and everything to gain and achieve - i truly believe the ancestors were present, fully at stake and no bets were hedged - i imagine Kupe and others feeling this way- not to say that i compare myself to them but to have the feeling of somehow being close to them, - within myself. Mokotukupu - The trinity of the decorated carved house, the decorated carved Canoe, the decorated carved man. brought together in a moment to signify the activated person - Even as i write this i still feel the pull of the Wakapounamu flying free in spirit. i am the Tauihu of that Waka Truth was around us everywhere we looked -sometimes blatantly staring us in the face - everything was so pared back in our purpose it felt like truth had a real chance. The plexi continues to sculpt me into what i am becoming and i must, i must continue through this bottled ocean with Te Moananui in my wake, this voyage, this purpose, this journey of endeavor, adventure, discovery and resolution - it comes with its own price like everything - the cost truly truly known only to myself and my three sons. I will continue to thank Reinhart and Mathilde for continuing to believe and to all the others drawn into this in its momentum - i am aware of the power i possess to attract the people to complete the task at hand - it will always be that way, right up to the very very last minute... Here are some more of Reinharts beautiful photographs. Arohatonu and please share George Nuku
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 17:33:08 +0000
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