Kāwhia, Aotearoa New Zealand
March/April 2020
Eight hundred years ago, the great Tainui waka (canoe) entered Kāwhia Harbour and thus, a spiritual homeland was established. I arrived in Kāwhia in March 2020, as Aotearoa New Zealand was being introduced to a four level Covid-19 alert system – we were currently in Level 2 and in 48 hours, would shift to Level 4.
For months, I continued to work on a series of woodblock prints I started over the 33 days of Level 4 from a town that felt desolate under the (then) current conditions, finding imagery in the evidence of community and humanity. I took photographs of Kāwhia wharf, boat launch, moorings, concrete sea walls, public spaces, neighbourhood features and historical sites. I collected the fine-grained black iron sand from the harbour and iron-rich clays from the beach to create prints that focus on the qualities of raw materials and connection to place and people.
March/April 2020
Eight hundred years ago, the great Tainui waka (canoe) entered Kāwhia Harbour and thus, a spiritual homeland was established. I arrived in Kāwhia in March 2020, as Aotearoa New Zealand was being introduced to a four level Covid-19 alert system – we were currently in Level 2 and in 48 hours, would shift to Level 4.
For months, I continued to work on a series of woodblock prints I started over the 33 days of Level 4 from a town that felt desolate under the (then) current conditions, finding imagery in the evidence of community and humanity. I took photographs of Kāwhia wharf, boat launch, moorings, concrete sea walls, public spaces, neighbourhood features and historical sites. I collected the fine-grained black iron sand from the harbour and iron-rich clays from the beach to create prints that focus on the qualities of raw materials and connection to place and people.
Materials sourced from Kāwhia Harbour, carved wood blocks and printmaking tools.
Images of Kāwhia, New Zealand.
