Lab 3: New Zealand
Lab three in New Zealand was held in collaboration with Scanz 2011:Ecosapienz. The event, held over two weeks was conducted under the following premise:
The complexity and urgency of the global ecological crises of today calls for us to engage together in new ways. Deep shifts in our consciousness may be required for long-term cultural changes to occur. In what ways might we encourage a kind of ‘reboot’ and re-imagining of our narratives about ourselves as a species, so to inspire ourselves towards more co-beneficial relationships with the biosphere?
The event included a symposium at the local Maori meeting place - the Owen Marae, (at which I presented a paper). This was followed by a creative residency to be held during the last two weeks of January 2011 in the city, parks and surrounds of New Plymouth, Aotearoa New Zealand.
The key outcome of this Lab was a sound walk curated by lead artists Keith Armstrong and Leah Barclay in collaboration with New Zealand maori artist Jo Tito. A further outcome was the project 'From the Bottom of an Ocean of Air' conducted by project Masters students Tega Brain and Kirsty Boyle in collaboration with artist and scientist Ramon Guardans.
‘Remnant Breath’ invited an acute sensitisation to that place solely through the often ignored senses of sound through the vehicle of a 20 minute blinfolded soundwalk. This event's intentions were to reveal remnant sonic layers of this environment and explored stories of water, breath, place and environmental action. The initial stages of the work involved a series of loudspeakers placed in the bush on either side of the track that people could perceive, mixed with the local sounds of water and aided by the quietness of the evening air. The event culminated in a high fidelity sound presentation and live performance by Maori artist Jo Tito at the work's end.
The project's longer term objectives was to create an interactive garden of ephemeral sound growing and conversing with the environment - building on the iphone 'Sound Garden' technology.
The work was presented as a public event of the SCANZ 2011: Eco sapienz events which brought over 20 local national and international artists to Taranaki , New Zealand.
Other outcomes from this Lab included
- Creative workshops (both sound walks, recording and ideas generation processes) as part of the Festival of Lights working with Puke Ariki and the 60 Springs group.
- Conference Presentation at Owae Marae – Manukorihi Pa, Waitara, Taranaki.
