Kirsty Dunn

Interview
What Taniwha Might Be Telling Us

What Taniwha Might Be Telling Us

Carl Mika (Tuhourangi, Ngāti Whanaunga) is a professor and head of school at Aotahi: Māori and Indigenous Studies, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha University of Canterbury. His colleague Garrick Cooper (Ngāti Whanaunga, Ngāti Ranginui) is an associate professor at Aotahi.

What follows is Kirsty Dunn’s attempt to kōrero with her esteemed colleagues about references to taniwha in their mahi. This is a truncated version of an hour-long conversation in which they delve into Te Pō and talk about (or perhaps around?) taniwha a while…

Foreword
Kupu Whakataki

Kupu Whakataki

Tēnei te mihi ki te māreikura kua whetūrangihia i tēnei tau. Nā tōna mahi, nā tōna āwhina, nā tōna kaha, ka puāwai te kākano o tēnei kaupapa. Moe mai rā, Whaea Robyn.

Haere, haere, haere atu rā, he taniwha hikuroa.

Artist Profile
He Kuru Pounamu

He Kuru Pounamu

Jen Rendall (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Māmoe) has explored ancestral narratives and the entwinements of plant life, waterways and landscapes in her works for some time. As a member of Paemanu Ngāi Tahu Contemporary Visual Arts, she has participated in significant exhibitions which honour Kāi Tahu relationships to whenua, including Tauraka Toi: A Landing Place at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery in 2021. More recently, her work was included in Kia Ora Whaea – an exploration of Māori motherhood and Indigenous perspectives and experiences of maternity shown at the Corban Estate Arts Centre in Tāmaki Makarau, which also included work by fellow Kāi Tahu contemporaries Turumeke Harrington and Alix Ashworth.

Exhibition

Whāia te Taniwha

Māori artists consider the enduring relevance of taniwha in Aotearoa.

Interview
Hard and Slippery – HAHAHA  (Wait, is that the title?)

Hard and Slippery – HAHAHA (Wait, is that the title?)

Kommi: This is a courteous introductory message to the two of ya’ll and regarding the collab comms between Turumeke and I, and the editing of it by Kirsty, along with additional notes/commentary as like a third voice freaky irirangi concept (but in written/electronic messaging/note adding stuff form),* all towards the art concept workings and discussions in conversations leading to the finished arts ’n’ stuff resulting in a publication of our ponderings and explorations within te ao buzzy buzzy art stuff that we gonna do. I hope my whakamārama there was nice ’n’ clear.

Tui/Turumeke this is Kirsty. Kirsty, this is Tui/Turumeke.

Turumeke: Kia ora! Great articulation Kom!

Kirsty: Wait? Have we started? Was that a test? Hahaha

Kommi: I do not know.