(Feast at Matatā, mid 19th century
Hakari is a ceremonial feast that is held on special occasions, hakari is used to bring tribes together, to celebrate life, for marriage celebrations and more. Kai is noa (normal, without boundaries) as opposed to being tapu (sacred, with restrictions) kai is used to bring people together, however tikanga is an important value used in the context of hakari. Tika (correctness) is essential for traditional māori practice, for the kai to remain noa the first fish is given to Tangaroa (god of the ocean), the first kumara is given to Rongomātāne (god of uncultivated foods) etc... These values are upheld so that the kai does not infringe on tapu, the amount, quality and type of food reflects on the hosts mana, mana can be gained or lost during a hakari. There are recordings of hakari with towers of kai 30 metres tall and kilometres wide, the hakari is set on a large stage built for that purpose and tribes attending often bring different types of kai, some will bring food of the forrest, some food of the ocean, and some cultivated foods.
Dale Harding
For Dale Harding I was interested in his method of using art as play, I think having fun and enjoying art making is essential for my process, almost like a form of healing. I have always had a very active imagination, as a child and still as a grown up, so through printmaking I explored my imagination and came up with a happy character to express my inner child.
Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono is one of my favourite artists, her instruction work and ways of changing the perception of everyday activities and objects in particular, with this piece I wanted to explore changing perception so through the use of oiled paper and layered drawings I created a light activated artwork that is aesthetically pleasing and can be rearranged to create new shapes and pictures.
Pati Solomona Tyrell
Pati Solomona Tyrell explores sexuality and gender fluidity through photography and performance art , for this piece I chose to explore my sexuality through dress up and collage photography, bandages representing how I feel when I pick apart my sexuality, coming out with labels like lesbian, bisexual, pansexual and constantly feel different on how I identify, I feel at the moment that my sexuality is fluid and am not forcing any labels on myself. I enjoyed Pati's expression of sexuality as a healing process and wanted to show it in my work as well.
Angela de la Cruz
This work based on the methods of Angela de la Cruz is created by manipulating the mail canvas, in her work she is partial to completely remaking the canvas frame for a larger and sharper effect, I wanted to soften this and created a curved piece that is effected well by light. I think something interesting to explore would be how a curved or twisted canvas can change light and perhaps other elements.
Hanne Lippard
Foe Hanne Lippard I was interested in the fluidity she sees in language and how she expresses it through spoken work and poetry, I was curious to see if I could translate that method into drawing what I was thinking in the abstract and seeing the fluidity it would take in the form of drawing, this is the result.
Rebecca Ann Hobbs
I was intrigued by the photo series by Hobbs, creating my own mini series in relation to places I feel close to and how the variation can change the aesthetic scenery but not the overall emotional impact or effect.
Mark Bradford
For the piece I made in regards to the methods of Bradford, I used the idea of collecting posters from a neighbourhood to create work and instead used pages of an old diary I owned binding it together with wax, I feel like the end result is a amalgamation of old thoughts, feelings, and ideas bound together. Fire is known as a destructive force but in this case has singed the edges of past thoughts but has ultimately bound them together.
Haegue Yang
I adored the woven works of Yang, using this method I created an interchangeable clothing piece that can be used as a scarf or a headband. I would like to use Haegue's method of weaving in my final artwork, maybe stitch parts of the canvas together or use it as a way of hanging.
Exhibition
I went to the surrealist exhibition in Te Papa, I was particularly interested in the use of dreams and subconscious as a subject matter, in a way it makes the invisible come to the material world. I thought the readymade sculptures were fantastic! It was a great method of expressing an idea quickly which transfers well to this class and I will be using this method of experimenting with ideas. Surrealism has always been a style I have been fascinated by, as a child my mother exposed me to a lot of Dali and Kahlo's work and I was drawn to the intriguing shapes and the fantasy-like depictions in the paintings. Still today I am very much interested in the expression of my own artwork through surrealism, walking through the exhibition I was very moved by the other artists expression, I felt a very strong understanding to them. There were many many pages of pencil and ink drawings seemingly done quickly to get out ideas, compositions and concepts. I know this method to be used in a lot of practices , design as well as more academic studies however I think it is very useful and a great way to explore ideas.
After seeing the exhibition thinking in relation to my final artwork, I want to explore the idea of how we see ourselves in dreams, something I'd like to experiment with. Angela de la Cruz is a large inspiration as I love the idea of a canvas having real depth, I would like to explore more of a softer manipulation of the canvas rather than a harsh destruction of the piece. I would also like to use methods of Haegue Yang, the use of multiple media particularly. her woven works, I will play around with how string can interact with a manipulated canvas.
Final art piece
Progress photos:
Final instillation:
My final work in terms of hakari is based on the gathering of the many different tribes and peoples coming together to gain mana, trade for resources, and for knowledge. My artwork is a representation of some of the ways I perceive myself in my subconscious and dreams, instead of seeing and trying to understand them individually I have gathered them together to try and see the larger picture. During the making of this artwork I learned a lot about myself through looking at how I see myself subconsciously, I feel like I have gained knowledge and perspective through creating it, it was like a healing process for me, similar to why Pati Solomona Tyrell creates his artwork, although I did not intentionally use his methods to create the work making helped me understand why he does what he does and why he does it. By using the methods of both Haegue Yang and Angela de la Cruz I have created a specific mood for my installation that is one of a dream, I found that slightly manipulating the canvas gave it an ethereal sense and photographing it at night was important as most of my dreams take place in a nighttime setting. The blue chairs are there to tie it into the space and make it a part of the room, also complimenting this effect is the woven and hanging aspects that are derived from the methodology of Haegue Yang, having it almost floating in space.
