1: Imagining Decolonisation
In the text Imagining Decolonisationfocusing on the text written by Moana Jackson, the ideas of colonization are discussed, some ideas which can also be found by supporting texts such as Decolonising Methodologies written by Linda Tuhiwai Smith. The idea of Decolonizing is discussed in relation to the history of colonization, stories discussed through journeys of indigenous Māori through Aotearoa but also the rewriting of history from colonization. “the only meaning they gave the land was as property which they should own” Moana Jackson discusses the colonial disconnect to what land meant, a meaning which they continued after landing on Aotearoa’s shores. ‘Restoring’ is a term Jackson refers to in place of ‘decolonising’, a term which brings Māori up and builds them stronger, to restore Aotearoa and its history, its stories.
Additionally terminology surrounds ‘restoring’ in words such as ‘reclaiming’ in ways to uphold these ideas surrounding a building up and re-claim of Indigenous whenua, benefiting ideas in which to decolonise.
Decolonizing is a term or even could be considered a movement, one which is going on not only in Aotearoa but all over the globe, countries with a colonialized history fight back for the rights of land, land which is sacred and home to them. In the text Decolonising Methodologies written by Linda Tuhiwai Smith discuss forms of decolonizing, factoring yet again the history of colonization. A strong history of atrocities becomes apparent in the systems set into current day Aotearoa’s political scene from a history of injustices, quoted here “indigenous peoples were having their lands and resources systematically stripped by the state; were becoming ever more marginalized; and were subjected to the layers of colonialism imposed through economic and social policies.” (Linda Tuhiwai Smith. Decolonizing Methodologies: Page 91)An expansion of these systems of injustice can be explored, understood and drawn out to see that the issues weren’t only previous but on going.
The quote above focuses on previous events, events which we can see in parallel with today’s issues, some that have happened previously seem to be happening today in some way or another, one example of this currently happening is that of land is continuously being stripped away, resources alongside.
From understanding the ideas explored in Imagining Decolonisation surrounding colonization, an understanding can begin to unfold on how as an outsider to Aotearoa one can begin to place the self and expand on previous questions, a starting point of approaching the whenua around can become from a place of respect instead of ignorance. Verbal terminology used can help start forming a basic approach to decolonizing, ‘restoring’ and ‘reclaiming’.
How do people of outside and Pakeha navigate sacred sites? Especially when knowledge of place has been hidden forcing the knowledge of Tapu sites to remain of little knowledge to the average person. How can acknowledgements to indigenous place names guide towards a better respect toward the land and their stories? Acknowledgements to the history of the land could become meaningful ways to start to decolonizing, to acknowledge the mana of the land. What actions can I as Tauiwi take that are the best actions to move forward?
2: Planting and botany based around temporary landscapes
https://www.rnz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018777907
The communication of plants is a topic discussed by Dr. Andrea Clavijo McCormick, looking at how plants interact as well as questioning why plants communicate through an evolutionary point of view. A focus on scent is made relating the scent to a plant ‘screaming’ chemicals released help determine what a plant may be going through indicating the release of said chemical. Dr. McCormick looks at native species and invasive species in Aotearoa focusing on the Milford sounds, focusing on how these different species interact with the landscape and environment they are in and the plants behavioral patterns through this secretion of chemicals in order to see which plants are ‘screaming’ and which are not. This ‘screaming’ often occurs when plants are being eaten by herbivorous animals, the scent is formed in hopes of attracting carnivorous animals to help get rid of these harmful, from the plants perspective, animals. This chemical communication changes the plants scent fully in to attract and repel.
McCormic gives insight to possibilities surrounding regional relationships of plant species, or how communication differs between plants from the same region compared to those which have been introduced through colonization and globalism. Through Dr. Andrea Clavijo McCormick’s research begins an understanding surrounding what plants are doing to communicate and how this can be important with plants of certain regions and terrain.
In Aotearoa for example, invasive species can interrupt the scents given off by native species, interrupting in pollination as well, drawing bees and other pollinators to these invasive and introduced species.
Discussed closely are the ways in which different species, local or invasive, react by communicating with their surroundings, Invasive species are more “quiet” in an environment which is unfamiliar to their natural habitat, “quiet” a term used not to describe sound but to show correlation from the plants urge to release less scent in order to conserve energy, whereas native species will put out stronger scents attracting pollinators known to visit in a native habitat.
This interview discusses how plants can communicate through smell, smell which changes in how the plant is being treated or feeling in some form, scent becomes an indicator of environment and other implications of location and surrounding, the relevancy of this text hints on how natural spaces can change over periods of time with introduced species from settlers coming over and the history of introduced species, visually the landscape is changing but the terrain is changing on other levels of perception.
Dr. Andrea Clavijo McCormick research also focuses on climate change in relation to plant smell changes. Climate change is an issue globally, seeing its impacts reflects on how introducing species can harm ecosystems which have evolved together over time, having multiple impactful variants accumulating to these ecosystems accelerates how they deteriorate, pushing native species back and allowing invasive species to get in the way.
And why this matters, how do invasive species play a role in ecosystems today, how are native species coping, where else is this happening where communication is a key part of ecological ecosystems, and how do plants interact compared to areas where there are more invasive plants compared to areas where it is more native. Do invasive species make nature less natural?
3: Simon Ingram and John-Paul Pochin Talk to Su Ballard
http://citygallery.org.nz/blog/simon-ingram-and-john-paul-pochin-talk-to-su-ballard/
In the interview between Su Ballard, John-Paul Pochin and Dr. Simon Ingram, key ideas of making through apparatus are explored. Dr. Simon Ingram’s career focuses toward work made through electromagnetic frequencies of energy. Apparatus are used in many different manner, some are used to physically make work while others are used to plan out how a work may look. Agriculture is in many sense an idea which can be seen played out Ingram’s work where a focus is between plants and the soil, this idea becomes relevant in Earth Models (2020).
These paintings made are often separate to the methods of making, much like paintings which are often seen in galleries, but the painting process is very much of importance and the driving force behind Dr. Simon Ingram’s work. The making process includes electromagnetic frequency through VLF (Very low frequency) often focusing on a humans brain to create lines on a canvas. The brushes discussed are the width wide enough to carry enough paint needed to finish the brush stroke replicating the brain waves, these are transferred through a computer program.
The term ‘Monadic’ occurs in this interview, Su ballard refers or understands it as being a single entity or unit, whilst Dr. Simon Ingram refers to it as being “internal formal relationships echo operations in the broader cultural-political sphere in which they’re produced” an idea from German philosopher Theodor Adorno. This idea in relation to the work is intriguing as it adds another layering of thinking through the process and how the work may be understood, is this term to sum up one work or the practice as a whole, can the term be brought to the whole range or given singularity in context to the making process.
The apparatus used through the practice of agricultural systems are being tested, these apparatus discussed are relating to the systems used within agricultural practices and the farming industry as a whole. Dr. Simon Ingram is an artist who’s paintings are based around and through an apparatus, sometimes these paintings are digitally rendered through a program and painted by a machine at times, by doing this Ingram is limiting his materials making work similar to sit between a constant parameter, this goes into the paint used as well.
The agriculture industry plays a role in some of the recent work discussed such as Earth Models (2020)a program where cubes work off the cube next to them, Ingram is playing into plants interacting with one another. Fertilliser and toxic chemicals change the health of plants and soil, in Aotearoa farmers are attempting to be less reliant on these chemicals and relying more on the Māori farming techniques to work with the land.
location of materiality, how does the process effect the end? How is the material dictating the end product and communicate with the visual languages of paint in relation to a history of making culturally and politically? Where is the material gathered and how does that relate to the communication of ideas?
4: Dan Arps in conversation with Victoria Wynne-Jones, on the occasion of his exhibition “The Floral Maze.”
https://michaellett.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Quality-of-life-improvements.pdf
In the interview between Dan Arps and Victoria Wynne-Jonesdiscuss Dan Arps “The Flora Maze” exhibition.Ideas of structures are explored, these structures are seemingly referring to suburban areas and housing fences. The idea of the fences are shown and discussed to be relating to subdivisions between houses, there are what is discussed a “personalizing” or “personal” aspect to fences even though they are in a very narrow array in colour choice and design, ,this almost false ‘choice’ in the building and development, although this is discussed in relation to just fences there is also a similar plan and layout to building new infrastructure for new house buyers in regions which are still in development often on outskirts of towns and cities, there is an aspect of ‘personalisation’ but the choices come from a book where the buyer flicks through the pages to find their ‘dream’ build. The fences have a limited range from black through dark browns and whites and off whites, this is in discussion with Dan Arps work which is shown which consists or works seemingly relating to these sets of colours.
Arps touches upon the politics of ‘fences’ and their history discussing alongside colours and the divisions created, fences seemed to be a thing coming after buying a house to personalize it, houses had open lawns with fences going along the gaps between houses. This fence line relating to today almost relating to river walk fences as open access divisions to connect but also show a barrier, a barrier to show the edge and hope to keep people out, there is a set parameter.
“I want to be a painter but I don’t want to paint.” “sculptures on the wall or chunky painting” (Dan Arps) These two quotes by Arps makes me wonder the approach to his work and making, but also how he would define what a painting is, he related to the work as being “chunky painting” but doesn’t consider himself to be a painter but wanting to be one, although a barrier may be the medium with the “I don’t want to paint”. I like to think of the in between or the questioning of self and work in relation to painting and how that term can be closed or open depending on the maker or even the process and materials.
These works are “Casts on an angle” with a strong line going through the chunky paintings, the process becomes apparent in the work, residue from the making is left over, molds which go back onto the idea of a mass produced objects. This idea of the mass produced but also very much obvious and apparent in the object may connect back to aspects of today’s developments.
5: Geoff Park, Theatre Country: Essays on Landscape & Whenua. Victoria University Press, 2006.
In Geoff Park: Theatre Country discuss the ‘picturesque’ landscapes and whenua depicted and described in Aotearoa in relation to how land was seen during and post colonisation.
“Aestheticise nature and the natural” (pg. 104) is relating to how the colonists were sent to view landscape. Objects were included to create and narrate the ‘picturesque’ landscape through devices such as the Claude Glass which was used to create the ‘perfect landscape’.
“I wish a few more New Zealand conservationists had done so–those who presuppose their mission to be morally pure, and whose great regard for the places the colonial project made so wild and empty for them is without regard for the irony that, less than a century ago, these places were Māori whenua.” (pg. 105)
This part in the text resonated with how in relation to my current situation of where I happen to be I am beginning to look and think about colonialism in relation to how tau iwi approach and think about how others react or have reacted to whenua, what could be done to the up-hold expectations, while holding that regard and respect for whenua and sacred land. As non-Māori should seek out to understand the ground which they stand on and hope to consider respectfully how they live on this Māori land, and from reading and understanding this essay see how ‘picturesque landscapes’ have been edited to appeal to the colonial gaze, often removing what was deemed of having ‘natural beauty’ or ‘tradeable commodity’.
This essay describes the history of colonial life through a variety of colonisers lives and the ways in which they were to seek out a ‘display’ or ‘capture’ of landscape but also how they changed and altered it to mimic the European countries which they originally came from brining over invasive plants, animals and other items to intrude on the land to make it look more like the country which they left. These implementation’s on the land and the effects of bringing said items are felt through the land today, still to this day native flora and fauna is being lost at an extraordinary rate as well as native Māori whenua.
“But at the same time other legislation was taking away traditional Māori birding and plant gathering rights. For a while Māori land was kept out of the scenery preservationists’ reach.” (pg. 107) Park eludes to the previous exclusion of Māori voices toward the access and stewardship which was allowed on their own land, land of which accessibility was necessary for resources but also protection and many other vital reasons. Colonisers came in to land grab in attempts to turn Aotearoa into a ‘hunting paradise’ this was furthered with the animals brought over with deer, tarr and other game animals, .
“Largely because of the gutting of Aotearoa’s lowland forests and swamps… those ecosystems now have a mere fraction of the birds they had all through the centuries of Māori habitation. Nonetheless, the science the state has brought onto the conservation stage to spice up the scenic entertainment would have us believe that what we see when we walk under the trees is what ‘primeval New Zealand’ was like.” (pg. 108)
Through this ‘restoring’ of native land there might be a few questions surrounding what happens and who is consulted relating to whenua. Is this ‘conservation’ a mean for a colonial grasp on whenua or is there a means to eradicating all pests?
Key words
- Picturesque
- Conservation
- Legislation
- Aestheticised
- Whenua
6. Landscape issues from human infrastructure.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/spacex-rocket-base-to-be-built-near-endangered-sea-turtle-nesting-beach/-Infrastructure near coastal habitats (not in New Zealand)
https://whsrn.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/conservationplan_wipl_v1.0_2013.pdf– Page 70 Loss, Degradation, and alteration of habitat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCXAMgMH0fg&t=738s– relocating endemic species cause of trumps wall
Concrete-phaidon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9618uQlZmc– tedx talk (A concrete idea to reduce CO2 emissions | Karen Scrivener
https://thedistanceplanlexicon.org/LESS-CEMENT– discussing the properties and slight history of concrete. Focusing on current day concrete impacts to the environment
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/dairy-strategy-in-action/9347317/Farmer-hailed-as-environmental-pioneer– looking at restoration
Losing landscapes through humans impacts has caused the environments to shift, species to stand threatened between all other elements, ecosystems shrink as human development expands. Plant species which are beneficial to biological diversity are at threat of becoming extinct.
Building materials in an art practice, how materials are used to add to a painting
narrative
Concrete has molded the modern world, creating roads, buildings and other forms of infrastructure.
Llenyd Price 