SCANZ2013: Paritutu
Rulan Tangen ‘Walking at the Edge of Water’
Sunset at Back Beach, Paritutu, Taranaki Jan 26 2013
Photograph by Terri Ripeka Crawford
This is the middle weekend of the residency. Some went up the mountain, others gathered late in the day at Back Beach Paritutu.
SCANZ2013: Geolocating
Today’s workshop was held in the venue to be used at WITT for the wananga-symposium. Our guest were Mike Ure, Elise Smith and Anne Scott of the Nga Motu Marine Reserve Society. Mike is also part of the Ahu Ahu beach group.
Mike Ure talked about Maori understanding of the local coastal area
Elise Smith spoke about the little blue penguin project. The society has been gathering data on the penguins, and placing it online using maps. The aim is for Maori knowledge and creative projects to be added to the same online map.
Anne Scott from the Marine Society discussing the aims of society projects. Thanks to Martin Drury for the images.
SCANZ 2013: harakeke-flax-raranga-weaving
Photograph by Terri Ripeka Crawford
Today the residency theme was harakeke/raranga (flax/weaving). Jo Tito led the day with a local weaver. First up was harakeke gathering then some making. The image above was taken using a lens provided by Deborah Lawler-Dormer.
Photo by Tracey Benson
Jo tito and Mako Jones, who led the day, gathering the harakeke. Part of the day involved hearing what harakeke means to Maori.
Photo by Tracey Benson
Nigel Helyer and Darko Fritz at Puniho with woven works.
SCANZ 2013: residency
Two wheeled robotic cars emerge from the Andrew Hornblow residency workshop. There was also quite bit of interest in tree voltage data sensors.
SCANZ2013: Parihaka
SCANZ 3rd nature artists with members of the Parihaka community after we shared a meal. A memorable two days for all engaging with culture and korero about Peace and restoring positive relationship with the environment.
3rd nature residency site
Below are photos of the rooms and spaces at WITT, booked for the residency. The daily workshops will be happening there, and those who need space and equipment will work in the rooms.
This is Taranaki maunga or Mount Taranaki. It can be seen from many but not all locations in New Plymouth Nga Motu. Everything happens in the shadow of the mountain.
This is the exterior of F Block, which has the Art and Media rooms at one end and Te Wananga Maori (Maori department) at the other.
This is the area in front of F Block. You can see the sea through trees that are out of shot on left of image.
This is the main central area of F Block art rooms.
One of the Art and Media room is this small Mac lab for editing video. Most of the campus is PC.
This is – you guessed it – a dark room. We still actually have wet dark rooms on campus, unlike most other places that threw this stuff out.
We have a print room for traditional print making as well.
We have a small Photography Studio. We do need to get permission to use specialist rooms.
There is a workshop area with heavy benches and power from above.
We also have a Machine shop, but you must do the Occupational Safety and Health orientation before you can use anything. Our technician will be around 2 days a week.
This is a seminar room off the main space. It has blinds and shutters to control light.
This larger space is multi-use, like the main space. We use it for classes then clear it out for showing work.
There is one more space, we call the wet studio, but there was a class in there and I didn’t want to disturb them, when I took these photos. The room has big sinks (think dishes).
3rd nature: Jo Tito
When the opportunity arose to contribute to 3rd Nature, Jo automatically thought, “how wonderful would it be to create in the environment??”
An impermanent creation that would eventually flow back into nature, a moment in time that would be captured on camera and imprinted in the minds and hearts of those who experienced those moments in real time or later on film.
The creations will be totally in the moment, like water flowing down the mountain through rivers and out to sea. It will bring all the elements of her residency project together: Earth, Water, Light, Stones.
She is not sure what will be created, but plans to capture what is being created on camera in some way. She envisions that nature will provide most of the tools she will need to create; light, water, trees, birds, sticks, stones, paint, leaves and has also asked a few of the other artists in residence to collaborate with her as well.
“It’s exciting!” she says. “It’s going to be a wonderful experience that brings nature, creativity, science, technology and human potential into one space. Expect creations that have never been created before, songs that have never been sung before and healing for both land and people.
There will be a science element as well. Jo is a photographer and has spent many years capturing light in photography. “It’s second nature now, when I see light, I see a wonderful photo opportunity and I just want to capture it! So why is photosynthesis so important and how can I explore this amazing part of nature and use this in my photography?”
She is also interested in the science that she believes already exists within te reo Māori. “The word for tree is rākau and within that one word is explained the process of photosynthesis. I do really believe it is as simple as this! That is what I love about te reo Māori. It is such a rich conceptual language. Everything is connected.
This is going to be a journey for her. “Going home to Taranaki is always a personal journey for me. I am always changed when I return to the East Coast from being below our maunga. And I know this place, our maunga (mountain), our whenua (land) and our moana (sea) are special and whatever is going to be created, it will be beautiful.”
3rd nature: Sonja van Kerkhoff and Sen McGlinn
The image above is from the proposal to create a spiral structure inside Puke Ariki. The structure will house five video works.
Introduction
Home within: the hook follows from a work completed by van Kerkhoff and McGlinn for the Second nature Intercreate exhibition in Istanbul. Here a spiral structure is proposed, to contain and reveal five videos which span subjects such as the world of Maori, Taranaki, growing up, and rivers.
3rd nature: Nigel Helyer
Nigel Helyer will use Intercreate’s data controlled audio system which is located in Pukekura Park. The above image comes from “The Park Speaks” the Intercreate project that initiated the system.
Introduction
Nigel Helyer will create a work for “3rd nature”, a customization of an existing structure that enables the playback of audio files to be controlled by live environmental data. Helyer is proposing to locate the speakers in Pukekura Park, so that the local environment will generate the audio. This will be showcased on Sunday February 3rd in Pukekura Park in the afternoon.