finally

Heoi ano… Kangaroo and Tui so different from each other yet so familiar.  My final piece has ended up being made up of two 1963 pennies with cut out images of a Tui and Kangaroo. They are shown on the flip side with the queens head of each coin.  A respectful display of our shared colonialism and persistent iritation of Mother England.  Poised in the centre of the coins is a thick, broad piece of Pounamu (jade) a treasure to Maori and a reminder of the indigenous cultures caught between national identity, colonialism and international identity.  The world has gotten smaller through speed of travel and especially through media such as the internet. What we know of each other is very much built on stereotypes and snippets of information shared.  So many Kiwis live in Aussie and vis versa so their are those that  can say they have an intimate understanding of both countries.  It is the old adage of ‘it is not until you have lived in a place’…So therefore i can say that there is much to gain from each other and doing things like this exchange is a useful tool towards a greater understanding.

Take a look at ‘The flipside’

Ahakoa he iti he Pounamu

naku noa

na Neke Moa

to the end

Kia ora koutou! nga mihi!!After working through some more ideas and materials, i settled on familiar and iconic.  from the materials i was sent( the copper sheet), i was more inspired by the colour than the material itself.  The ideas that confronted me with the text i was sent, concerned themes and concepts that relate to my work in general.  Cultural identity,  national identity, being Maori and being Kiwi.  How we relate to each other as well as how we relate and understand people from other countries such as Australia.  New Zealand and Aussie have strong ties and relationships on multiple levels.  What we know of each other is very much determined by our experiences, interactions, information from all sources, tv, internet ect.sports, culture, arts.  There were so many avenues to pursue, one commonality we share which was a founding identifier was that both countries were colonised.  Then i looked at currency-coins and found iconic images, kangaroo and tui.

mid to end

So, i began rubbing and softening the copper sheet.  Finding objects which reflected kiwiana, cultural icons, experimenting and contemplating the ideas of identity.  I placed hard objects under the copper sheet and used different tools to rub, hammer and push the copper.  This gave some great impressions and definitely evoked nostalgia from the rubbings we did at school… But wasnt quite what i had in mind and i didnt feel compelled by the materials i had been given, so back to the board…

rubbings

So looking at my materials and the text statement i recieved … took me back to the old copper rubbings we used to do at school.  the connections and relationship we share kiwi and aussie, culturally diverse, in existence a multitude of sub-cultures within each country.  For me however, being indigenous brings about my own set of values, ideas and cultural identity..

copper sheet

text from MG to Nekemoa(whiti)

The first thing I wrote about was Kiwi and Aussie stereotypes. And my impressions of NZ based on personal memories. I was trying to be funny and light hearted. But it ended up sounding condescending and quite possibly offensive. I probably sounded pretty stupid as well.

I mentioned: Footrot flats, kiwi fruit, mountains, hokey pokey ice-cream, hot springs, accents, ferns. Words I used were: G’day, bloody, true blue, tops, reckon and ‘arse end of the earth’. This commentary flowed easily when writing, but when I read it aloud it felt wrong. For one, I don’t actually speak like that really. This approach just wasn’t working.

We’ve all said and heard these things before. I expect that many Aussie’s have had similar encounters with NZ that I have. Enacting these stereotypes will not start us off on a good foot or give much inspiration. So, instead I will try to be more open when I imagine who you might be and what you might be inspired by. How you see your country and how you feel about your cultural identity. Also, how you see my country and our cultural identity.

I wish we could have a conversation so you could tell me about this yourself. Though since we can’t do so yet, I will reflect on the relationship between Aus and NZ from another angle.

It seems that this project will begin a dialogue between creative people who are currently working in our two southern lands. I’m excited by this. I’d recently been pondering why exchange does not appear to happen more often, when we seem to have a lot in common.

For example, I’ve witnessed very few NZ productions featured in Aussie media. Although, there are two NZ grown acts that I have heard about and really appreciate. One of the things I like about both of these acts is – I get where their coming from! Here my thoughts on how their take on things is similar to some of my fellow Aussies.

Flight of the Conchords

Two comedians in a band that parodies music genres and their adventures are extended into a situation comedy where they:

• Don’t take themselves or others too seriously.
• Turn adversity into an amusing anecdote.
• Are loyal and willing to give a helping hand.
• Muck around and avoid work except when necessary.

The Black Seeds

This band plays a mix of reggae, dub, funk and pop music which is:

• So cheesy it’s not clear whether it’s actually joke or not.
• Infused with a positive attitude and upbeat energy.
• Laid back and chilled out, so you can’t help but slow your pace.
• Lyrics are underpinned by egalitarian values.

I acknowledge these are generalisations. They are also constrained by my personal point of view that is not necessarily exemplary of others here. However, there seems to be more common ground here than in the initial stereotypes I wrote about. Hopefully the points will generate ideas, whether it is to expand upon or disagree with what I have put forward.