As a tourist coming to New Zealand, I did some research. Not tons, but enough to know about the climate, a condensed history, the format of the government, the economy and a bit of the culture. A copy of Lonely Planet New Zealand was tucked into my carry-on and New Zealand - Culture Smart! by Sue Butler was one of two audiobooks downloaded on my phone. But, as with most travels, what I expected was not what I experienced. Adaptations for Flight is comprised of work that visually captures some of the surprises New Zealand sprang on me and the gaps between the romantic and the real.
Lungs
Palm frond midrib, Plastic, Wire, Wood
Installation - dimensions vary
“I like the stars. It's the illusion of permanence, I think. I mean, they're always flaring up
and caving in and going out. But from here, I can pretend...I can pretend that things last.
I can pretend that lives last longer than moments. Gods come, and gods go.
Mortals flicker and flash and fade. Worlds don't last; and stars and galaxies are transient,
fleeting things that twinkle like fireflies and vanish into cold and dust. But I can pretend…” - Neil Gaiman
“So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.” - William Shakespeare
New Zealand sees a lot of tourists, holiday seekers, and adventure lovers. But, temporary guests are met with temporary products, and ironically, “temporary" comes in the form of plastic. I wanted to juxtapose the timelessness, fragility and life of the palm with the fleeting permanence of the plastic.
A 2015 study found that more than 25,000kg of plastic is littered in New Zealand every day.
Akin too
Ceramic, gouache, wire, yarn
Installation - dimensions vary
“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut
by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks
are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.
I am haunted by waters.” - Norman Maclean
Cultures all over the world recognize water as a purifier and employ rivers to wash away sins, connecting people through ceremony and water. In all of my travels, I’ve yet to happen upon a place that is untouched by "sin." Present and past exploitation of people or land have gone on for all of human history. How do the exploiters and the exploited coexist?
This installation is meant to be interactive with audience participating by connecting the hands.
Knotting or knitting the yarn strands together was encouraged.
Sheeple
Ceramic, Fiber, Raw Wool, Gouache, Cornstarch & Instant Coffee
Installation - dimensions vary
“The soil is the great connector of lives, the source and destination of all. It is the healer and restorer
and resurrector, by which disease passes into health, age into youth, death into life. Without proper care for
it we can have no community, because without proper care for it we can have no life.” - Wendell Berry
Before doing any pre-travel research, “New Zealand” evoked images of sheep and stunning other-worldly vistas in my mind. After spending a few months in the country, reading the local papers and speaking to native New Zealanders, my images have undergone some editing. This installation embodies the mashup of my pre and post arrival thoughts, specifically in the vein of agriculture. I was stunned by the vivid turquoise lakes and crystal clear streams, and just as stunned to learn the agriculture industry (Sheep and Dairy Cattle, in particular) is threatening the country’s clean water. Coming from the American Midwest, I’m no stranger to farming, muddy rivers, and the shaky balance between economic growth and environmental sustainability.
Water Spirits
Kelpies, Selkies and Sirens
Ceramic, driftwood, gouache, sea shell, bone, wire
Installation - dimensions vary
“Bones are patient. Bones never tire nor do they run away. When you come upon a man
who has been dead many years, his bones will still be lying there, in place, content, patiently waiting,
but his flesh will have gotten up and left him. Water is like flesh. Water will not stand still.
It is always off to somewhere else; restless, talkative, and curious. Even water in a covered jar
will disappear in time. Flesh is water. Stones are like bones. Satisfied. Patient. Dependable.
Tell me, then, Alobar, in order to achieve immortality, should you emulate water or stone?
Should you trust your flesh or your bones?” - Tom Robbins
Two things inspired this series, the Whanganui River being granted legal rights as a person and the concept of spirits taking up residence in inanimate objects, such as driftwood. After I read about the spirit and personification of the Whanganui River in a newspaper article, my mind drifted back to a house I lived in in Thailand. The house was built and owned by a friend of mine, the frame of which was constructed from driftwood she found on the beach. Her neighbors said the structure carried a powerful energy, since water spirits were trapped in the driftwood. Souls of the drowned and all nature of things, good and bad, permeate and reside within the logs.
