Inside my Papahou symphony No. II from the PŪ0R0 PL4Y series by M4URI M4STA also known as Abigail Aroha Jensen. This work is a continuation of Jensen’s layered sound practice, diving into oro by weaving together taonga pūoro and field recordings of her environment.
Past Event
Image courtesy of artist
Video courtesy of the artist
We encourage you to listen to this work with headphones on for an immersive oro experience, and to wander outside while you listen, making a special effort to observe your surroundings.
... Inside my Papahou symphony no. II. . .Sets an ethereal tone that awakens Hine Raukatauri. Kissed by the lunar shards that cascade into her cocoon. She sings her song, moaning to te ao Marama, to te taiao. He Pūtōrino, he kōauau, he waiata. She calls, she whispers and cracks into the moonlight. On a branch she is straddled by Tāwhirimātea. These marks are left upon the ear, embedded in concrete, a collection of debris marked by subliminal frequencies.
I invite you to imagine, to play, as you dream or wander on foot.
What do you observe and what do you feel?
Tihei... Mauri ora
Image courtesy of the artist.
Ngā mihi nui to te taiao, to my mauri tau whānau who work at wairua. Mihi to Blue Oyster and my darling friends and collaborators who always awhi the haerenga. Aroha nui e te tau, we all ride the wave together.
Live performance and visual arts converge in the Blue Oyster Performance Series. All events either in person or online are free to attend and open to all. This experimental performance series is part of Dunedin Fringe Festival and is supported by Creative New Zealand.
M4URI M4STA
Abigail Aroha Jensen is an interdisciplinary artist based in Tāmaki Makaurau. Abigail has been expanding her practice through the means of oro - weaving together taonga pūoro, textures and field recordings of her environment to reflect the ever changing te taiao.
Previous projects include: Whiri Whiri Muka tangata: Ngā haki o te tangata (2020) My Whare Bares Witness (2021) At RM gallery, Manawa i te Kāniwha (2021) in collaboration with George Watson for Artspace Aotearoa; as well as Pūtahitanga Kura (2021) their second collaboration for The Lightship – A contemporary arts platform at Bledisloe wharf on the Ports of Tāmaki Makaurau. Lamentation of Rautaupare (2022) shown in Papatūnga project space for the group show Te Pō, which threaded oro with memory of tupuna, site and kōwhaiwhai to emanate whare whakairo when in a place of transit.
Her latest work – Inside my Papahou: Ngā āhuatanga o te kuku o te Tangata e te kēhua combines concrete cast sculpture with sound, challenging the limits of contemporary carving. The work was influenced by hikoi throughout lockdown. A moment in time which helped to align the artists thinking toward the relationship between mauri and the mundane. Through this, Abigail navigates the compounding effects of isolation, discovering ways to uplift wairua through oro, channels of matauranga, ritual and ways of being. This work was commissioned by Te Tuhi for the group show, Ata Koia! curated by James Tapsell-Kururangi.
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