Global Eyes Feet Voice

Concept

Corban Estate Arts Centre curator Lisa Rogers invited object artists Ronald Andreassend and Karen Chan to submit artworks for an exhibition celebrating Matariki. Keen to broaden the creative scope, Ronald approached the poets from Metonymy to contribute prose to the exhibit. The successful collaboration resulted in an inspiring show of poetry, light and ceramic design. Global Eyes/Feet/Voice documents this unique event, paying homage to Maori New Year and combining the creative talents of eight New Zealanders

Each ceramic light is conceived as a three-dimensional  reconstruction of the poetry written specifically for the Matariki exhibition. The poems reflect the memories and identities of each poet, their interpretations of the meaning of Matariki and their relationship to Aotearoa.

The ceramic shapes are individually pierced with intricate designs and symbols and when illuminated, create patterns on surrounding surfaces. Hand-crafted cast resin details enliven each light with rich, translucent colour and texture, retelling each poet’s words in a new, pictorial form.

To us Matariki means celebrating the unique place in which we live and giving respect to the land we live on. Using this thought as a stepping stone, or spring board, the Global Eyes Feet  Voice project has become a series that is building on itself and branching out as a side-project from Metonymy.

Six poets re-create    their poetry through collaborations with other artists. The Matariki series, exhibited at Corban Estate Arts Centre, was a collaboration between six poets: Miriam Barr, Daniel Larsen, Sabrina Muck, Renee Liang, Genevive McClean and Christian Jensen and object artists Ronald Andreassend and Karen Chan. The themes of seven poems are reflected in their interpretation by Ronald and Karen as three-dimensional ceramic lights and illuminated resin objects. 

The second installation at Te Karanga shows objects made by the poets themselves, including tokotoko talking sticks, lanterns, jewellery, lino cuts, illustrations and photography. A CD accompanies the book and contains audio recordings of the poems, a photo series of guerrilla poetry and a photo series of new ojects added to reflect on the poems. 

Embracing the spirit of  Matariki means to celebrate through education. The stars, global eyes, navigate towards remembrance and the planting of new trees and crops; signalling change, signalling new beginnings. It is the time for learning about the land and remembering our ancestry; of the legacy left behind to find our place where we are; our home.

Aotearoans have used the sky for many reasons throughout history. The .  symbols created from the stars preserve our roots, norms, culture, knowledge and beliefs. The time of new year is celebrated in all cultures. Our art will always be there to tell the tale and to share  our skills and achievements. Global Eyes explores the different backgrounds and roots of Aotearoans aiming to tie them together and display the uniqueness of Aotearoan culture through the voice of poetry and art. We have, and are still, continuing to do this by manipulating, deconstructing and reconstructing the poems through several sets of hands.