The themes of Water and Peace follow on from our engagement with tangata whenua, in particular the inspirational Dr Te Huirangi Waikerepuru ONZM, Ahorangi of Te Matahiapo Indigenous Research Organisation. He first emphasised Wai – water or flow – at the ‘SCANZ 2011: Eco sapiens’ hui at Owae Marae. Several projects ensued – in Istanbul, Albuquerque, Auckland and New Plymouth. After visiting Parihaka as part of ‘SCANZ 2013: 3rd nature,’ in discussion with Inahaa Te Urutahi Waikerepuru we developed the themes of water and peace for SCANZ 2015, as a means to bring artists together with the Parihaka community. There is also a World Indigenous Forum on Water and Peace, with Dr Waikerepuru as Aotearoa representative.
The theme of Power can be interpreted in many ways. For Māori there are multiple senses of meaning, to be explored as years go by. Taranaki is sometimes referred to as an ‘energy province’ so the concept of Power has further multiple meanings. For Intercreate, we intend exploring multiple meanings at each new biennial event.
