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SCANZ 2013: About the wānanga-symposium

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SCANZ 2013: 3rd nature takes place in New Plymouth Nga Motu and Waitara and consists of a wānanga-symposium, exhibition and residency. The symposium brings together people from around the country and the world for three days in February 2013.

Intercreate Trust and event partner Te Matahiapo Indigenous Research Centre (TMIRC) are organising the symposium. Intercreate Trust has worked with the Ahorangi of TMIRC and WITT Dr Te Huirangi Waikerepuru, on a number of projects. From this has come the realisation that the solution to sustainability requires listening to the indigenous voice on the environment. Consequently Mātauranga Māori is interwoven through most of the symposium.

Sessions of the symposium include: Mātauranga Māori, Science and Art; Environment; Society; Indigenous Cultures; Data, Art and Ecology; and Futures. Views expressed include those from a Social Work perspective on environment, barriers to sustainability, working with remote communities, the body and the environment, art and data, biotechnology , little blue penguins and ‘Martian diaspora’ – among many others.

‘Martian diaspora’ refers to a presentation by Haritina Mogosanu of KiwiSpace Foundation. Between 21 April and 5 May this year she attended a Mars expedition at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah. She will present an overview of the experiments, reflections on hybridised culture in space and recommendations for the future development of non-Earth habitats.

The aim of the event is to encourage discussion and debate about what can be done to resolve environmental issues. Current strategies alone are clearly not working. Locating the discussion in the context of indigenous culture and contemporary life is seen as important by the organisers.

Day one is held at Owae Marae in Waitara, days two and three are based at the Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki. On day two the SCANZ exhibition 3rd nature opens at 6.28am at Puke Ariki. The third day includes time in  Pukekura Park.

Project partners include Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki, Creative New Zealand, Te Matahiapo, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery and Puke Ariki.

 

SCANZ 2013: Institutions

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SCANZ graphic

Representatives of local Taranaki groups including iwi (tribal group) will meet with representatives of ten universities and two New Zealand Research institutes in February 2013. The gathering is for SCANZ 2013: 3rd nature in Waitara and Nga Motu New Plymouth.

The primary aim is to bring together people from Aotearoa and around the world to talk about integrating indigenous knowledge into art, science and technology projects. “This approach is very important to resolving a sustainable future. Listening to the indigenous voice could be the key element. More people worldwide are appreciating this way of thinking” says conference organiser Ian Clothier. “We’re calling it a wānanga-symposium so international people know what it is.”

Based on an excellent response to the previous symposium, day one of the wānanga-symposium is to be held at historic Owae Marae. Day two is at the Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki (WITT) and day three is split between WITT and Pukekura Park, where several creative projects will be viewed.

Dr Te Huirangi Waikerepuru is a keynote speaker as is Nina Czegledy, an international artist-scientist who lives in Canada and Hungary.

Staff of the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, and the Institute of Environmental and Scientific Research will present.

The Taranaki organisations are: Owae marae representatives, Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki, Te Matahiapo, Nga Motu Marine Reserve Society, and Friends of the Waitara River Ngaa Hoa o te Muriwai o Waitara.

New Zealand Universities include: Massey University, University of Otago, University of Auckland and Auckland University of Technology.

International universities represented: University of Toronto, Duke University, Universität der Künste Berlin, Concordia University, Symbiotica (University of Western Australia) and Australian National University.

International organisations include: Hackteria.org and the Australian Network for Art and Technology.

Project partners include Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki, Creative New Zealand, Te Matahiapo, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery and Puke Ariki.

Further information
Main site: www.new.intercreate.org
Registration information and conference outline:

3rd nature residency site

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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.

Mount Taranaki

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.

F Block

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.

F Block frontage

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.

Main space

This is the main central area of F Block art rooms.

Mac suite

One of the Art and Media room is this small Mac lab for editing video. Most of the campus is PC.

Dark room

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.

Print room

We have a print room for traditional print making as well.

Photo studio

We have a small Photography Studio. We do need to get permission to use specialist rooms.

Work shop

There is a workshop area with heavy benches and power from above.

Machine shop

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.

Seminar room

This is a seminar room off the main space. It has blinds and shutters to control light.

Large room

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

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Jo Tito imageWhen 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.”

jotito-artist.com

handpaintedrocks.com

3rd nature: Sonja van Kerkhoff and Sen McGlinn

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Sonja van Kerkhoff image

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

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Nigel Helyer image

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.

3rd nature: Darko Fritz

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Darko Fritz image

Above is an image from the proposal by Darko Fritz to place a large “reload_refresh_sync” symbol in the grounds of Pukekura Park.

Introduction

Darko Fritz has become known for his horticultural units, which involve writing internet error messages with living plants. “reload_refresh_sync” is a reference to the reload button on browsers; to the refresh of information from servers and perhaps by extension, the need to refresh our relationship with the Earth.

exhibition site photos

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Introduction

This page should be treated as speculative, as it contains some thoughts on positions of the works exhibited, but this needs now to be negotiated. Much is likely to change.

The general shot above shows the level 2 main entrance. In the centre is the moa and kiwi. Some aims for the install are: 1. Mingling works with the Museum collection, opening dialogues to co-located spaces and objects. 2. Clustering works in groups, to make SCANZ exhibition works more apparent. 3. Having tours and a guide map to works. 4. High quality presentation and images are required for the Leonardo publication. The lighting conditions are suitable. Images less than really good will not be used.


Above is the opposite corner of the level two display area.

This is in the Taonga (Treasures) Galleries, which we have to ask special permission for. I’m suggesting that we project Mike Paulin’s work on the side of the sail in the centre of this photo.


Above the signs is where we are considering putting Josh Wodaks’ images. Also in the Taonga Gallery.

We plan to project Te Huirangi Waikerepuru’s work on a translucent screen, in the Taonga Gallery. This is the view of the gallery from just inside the entrance.

Sonja van Kerkhoff and Sen McGlinn are proposing a spiral free standing structure and we are suggesting in the above area. Its at the top of the stairs.

This is an option for Janet Laurence. There is an opportunity to engage with a range of subjects. This clearly is the native insect and bird life section, with a full moa skeleton and kiwi in cases.

A clearer shot of the display cases in this area.

This would be another option for Janet Laurence.

This could also be as well. Its spectacular in a mundane sort of way. All the display cases have lights, some are dimmable.

On one side of level 2, there are three cases in a row. We are thinking of the outside ones containing jellyfish by Anne Pincus and the middle containing the cyanobacteria by Hideo Iwasaki. One thing we are suggesting is to supplement some of the existing information in this area, which covers the period 65-21 million years ago, by including information about bacteria in this time period. Or single celled life forms if that is suitable.

This is a front view of a case for jellyfish or bacteria.

There is a large gate way towards the rear of this photo that is framed by blue panels. The left upright panel is a proposed position for Tracey Benson’s work, although this involves some negotiation, to see if hanging vertically rather than horizontally is OK.

This is the right hand side of the blue gateway, and suggested for Kura Puke’s work. All positions do need positive responses from the artist and we can have one to one discussions to resolve any matters arising.

This area is just around the corner from the blue gate way area above. It is proposed for the Galactic wind data project by Nina Czegledy and collaborators.

3rd nature: Janet Laurence

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Janet Laurence image

This image above is a detail from “After Eden” an installation by Janet Laurence. The Australian artist is known for her work with endangered species, scientific vessels and containers, and incorporating items from the biological collections of museums in installations.

The words on each of the exhibitor pages, will change as further discussion takes place and a greater awareness of the works results. We began by examining the works from the point of view of how some of them interconnect with each other in terms of content. This was so we could form a rationale of where in the collection might be a good position for the work.

Interconnections

Janet Laurence’s subtle and carefully modulated installations speaks of the sensitivity of the artist to content, subject and placement. In the context of SCANZ 2103: 3rd nature, there are connection points to the vessels and containers of science in the work of Hideo Iwasaki; to animals – fish in the medusae of Anne Pincus, and Mike Paulin’s model of a shark; and birds in the project by Pierre Proske and Damian Stewart. This is perhaps due to an embedded interdisciplinarity in Laurence’s work, which traces across several subjects including science, biology, installation, projection, lighting and containers.

3rd nature: Nina Czegledy and collaborators

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Galactic wind image

Image above: Galactic super wind: Matter blasts out of the starburst galaxy M82 in this composite image (X-ray: NASA / CXC / JHU / D.Strickland; optical: NASA / ESA / STScI / AURA / the Hubble Heritage Team; IR: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Univ. of AZ / C. Engelbracht).

Introduction

Nina Czegledy, Ramon Guardans, John Fass, László Kiss, and Jose David Cuartas Correa are collaborators on Galactic wind data visualisation project (working title), 2012. This involves using live NASA data of galactic wind, which is visualised as drops of water falling into a tank. Nina Czegledy is a trained artist-scientist, Ramon Guardans is a United Nations Environmental Monitor, John Fass is an interaction design specialist, László Kiss works out of The Kitchen Budapest and Jose David Cuartas Correa works in multimedia design and is a proponent of free software: clearly this team is interdisciplinary, utilising the skills of the collective to create a connection from Puke Ariki to galaxies in space, via the records of interstellar energy bursts. Achieving this work involves people from three continents and five countries. An interest in cosmology is shared among many groups of humanity.