Toro ana i te huarahi me tētahi pouaka kī pai ana i te para, e kohia ana ngā para e Jade Townsend ko mahue i ērā atu – ngā taura māngoingoi nō ngā tātahi o Tairana, ngā kāri pōhi no Ibiza, ngā pahū karaka Kirihimete nō Liverpool, te miro nō Īnia. Nāna anō ngā paketai i whakaumu hei mahinga toi ko tuituia, ko peitahia hoki, hei wāhanga o tāna whakakitenga a Homesick/Sickhome, ki ngā Wharetoi o Page i tērā tau.
Ā mohoa nei, ko kuneroa ngā mahinga o Homesick/Sickhome. E kōrero mai ana a Jade mō tōna orokohanga, me tāna ahunga.
E pēhea ana koe pēnā ka hoki ngā mahara ki a Homesick/Sickhome?
Ānō nei ko onamata kē. I waihangatia ngā mahinga toi e au ki ngā paketai i kohia puta noa i te ao i ngā tau 2018/9, kātahi, i taku ohia atu ki te whakakitenga ka hoki pū ngā mahara ki ngā āhuatanga o tō tātou ao i mua i te KOWHEORI-19. He mea ā ki ahau te putanga tonutanga a ngā tuhinga hōu e hāngai ana ki te hurihanga o ngā tōrangapū ā-ao. Hei tauira, he wā tōna i aro au ki ngā herenga kōkota e whakawhāiti haere ana ki Ūropi, i motu ai hoki tōku whānau, heoti e kore rawa e oti i ahau te whakatau wawe i te herenga o ā tātou ake nekehanga i te tau 2021. I pūreirei taku āhua i tāku noho tahi me taku pēpi hōu ki tētahi motu atu i tōku whānau, nā reira i whakahaumanu ahau i ngā rawa tukurua ānō he whakaherenga nā ngā tūpuna. E whakatūturu ana au i te nōhanga tonutanga o te pōuriuri me te waranga i āku mahinga, heoti he mea whakanui te mauri o ngā rawa me tāku āta raweke, he tangata ngākau rorotu au.
He aha rā tō kāinga?
E rua ōku taha, he Māori ahau (nō Ngāti Kahungunu) nō te whakapapa o tōku matua, ā, nō Ngāi Scouse (nō Liverpool, ki Ingarangi) nō te whakapapa o tōku whaea. I tupu ake au ki waenga i ngā rohe o Whanganui, ki Aotearoa me Huyton, ki Liverpool, ki Ingarangi, ka mutu, e hia kē nei ngā tāone anō ko nōhia e au i aua whenua hoki. E noho ana au ki Te Raki Paewhenua, ki Tāmaki Makaurau.
Mōku ake, ko te “kāinga” he kohinga whanaungatanga. Ka mutu, e oti i a au te whakawhanake, te kawe, me te piri ki ērā whanaungatanga ahakoa ki hea au. Heoti, he whanaungatanga tonu e ahurei ana ki tōku āhuatanga me tōku ao. Ka ako au i ahau ake ina kei wāhi kē, engari ka tupu kē ahau ki te kāinga.
E tākupu ana a Homesick/Sickhome mō ngā raru ā-tōrangapū, ā-pāpori raini o inamata?
I waihangatia tēnei mahi i ngā tini whenua i a te pōtitanga UK me te whakatau Brexit e kainamu ana, heoti, i mua kē mai i te urutā. Nā taku huranga ki ēnei take ā-ao, e kore e oti i a au te karo i ngā kaupapa tōrangapū. Nā wai i kino, i kino kē atu ngā pūnaha āku o ia rā – pēnei i ngā tūnga waka rererangi, ngā waka kawe, ngā tononga kōkota, ngā mana paewhenua, me ngā pānui pāpaho paetata – rangi mai, rangi atu. He wā ōna engia e aukati ana ngā kēti o te ao ki a tātou, ka mutu, i te tirohanga whakamuri, ko tika rā.
E whakamaumahara ana a Homesick/Sickhome i te hirahiratanga o te nekehanga here-kore. E whakanui ana i te whakawhitinga ā-ahurea me te whakatere i te orokohanga o ngā rawa o ia mahinga toi. Engari, he nui ngā raru hōu ki mua tonu nei i te aroaro i ērā raru i whakaaweawe i tēnei toi. Ka kitea pea te whakakitenga o nāianei ki ngā karu hōu. Ānō he hokinga mahara ki te āmio haere, he tohu, he poapoa pea kia noho ki te kāinga , he tohu anō pea o te anamata ngangahau kī pai ana i ngā tini ara.
"Hauhake" at Objectspace. Photos by Billy McQueen
Ko anga pēhea nei te mahi?
I ēnei rā, e whakawhetai ana au ki te tutukitanga o ngā hinonga e toru hei wāhanga o te kuneroa o Homesick/Sickhome. Mō te tuatahi, mō Hauhake ki Objectspace, i tonoa ngā kaitoi 25 kia waihangatia ngā mahinga hōu ki tētahi kohinga tohutoro ki a Hone Tūwhare rāua ko Ralph Hotere, e whakanui ana i te hirahiratanga o te whanaungatanga ki ngā kaitoi. Ko te tuarua, ko Whānau Mārama ki Commercial Bay, e rua ōna wāhanga: ko tētahi he hinonga whakauka, he tononga toi hoki mā te marea, ā, i tonoa tētahi rōpū kaitoi Māori kia whakahohe i tētahi kohinga wāhi tauhoko; he whakakitenga ki ngā matapihi tae rā anō ki ngā mata whakatairanga matihiko. I waihanga hoki au i ngā whakamāramatanga tāraitanga o te iwa o Matariki ki te tahatika ki Commercial Bay – i kaingākau au ki te mahi rahi pēnā.
I korā au ā-tinana i te wā o ēnei hinonga e oti ai i ahau te pōhiri, te hautū, me te whakahaere i te wāhi rā. He maha ōku akoranga mō te kounga o tā te minenga aronga mā te kite ake ia rā. Mōku ake, he mea waiwai kia kōrero ake i te ohia whakauka, me te tautoko i tā te minenga mātauranga, me tā rātou arohanui, ā tōna wā, ki te toi taketake hōu.
Ehara te mahi whakauka, te whakahaere toi, me te whakahaere hinonga i te mahi hōu ki ahau; heoti, i hua mai taku kōingo kia waihanga whaiwāhitanga o ngā hohenga whaimana, ngā huatau, ngā rawa, me ngā wāhi ki waenga i ngā tāngata, hei puāwai ko kore rawa ahau e tōmene ā mohoa nā.
E pānui ana koe i te aha i tēnei wā tonu?
Kaingia ana ētahi whārangi e au i ētahi pukapuka ko hora nei i tō mātou whare. E mate ana au kia taurite taku pānui i te kōrero paki me te kōrero pono e whai wāhi ai tōku hinengaro ki te tākaro haere me te pohewa i waenga i ngā hinonga rangahau taimaha..
Tekau mā whā ngā marama i mua, i te noho tahi au ki tētahi hōtaka e kīia nei ko (Re)imagining Indigenous Futures: he hōtaka mātauranga e aro ana ki te kuneroa, nā Kei Te Pai Press i whakarite. He kawatau kia pānui ia rā, he wero i ngingiha ai taku puku me taku hinengaro. Hei whakatauaro pea i ērā atu wā ki tōku oranga i ahau e kura ana, nā te whenumitanga o te nōhanga mohoaotanga, te mahi a te whaea, te hoki mai ki Aotearoa, me te kore whai mahi i whitawhita ai taku mate kia mārama ake ki te anamata. Ko Ani Mikaere rātou ko Leonie Pihama, ko Angela Davis, ko Linda Tuhiwai-Smith, ko Moana Jackson, ko Russell Means, ko Bell Hooks, ko Jackie Wang, ko Brenna Bhandar, ko Te Kawehau Hoskins ētahi o ngā kaitito ki tā mātou rārangi pānui. I ngahau taku pānui i ngā wheako o ngāi māori noa i ahu atu ki ngā rautaki ahurei i whakahaumanu ai i te ahurea. Mōku ake, he mahere ērā tuhinga hei pou whirinaki mōku i ngā tini rangi, me taku kore mōhio i te nuinga o te wā ko pēnā.
Jade Townsend and her Matariki sculptures at "Whānau Mārama", Commercial Bay. Photo by Holly Burgess.
He aha tāu e poho kūkupa pai nei?
Rawa nei au e mataku i te wero i ahau anō kia koke tonu, kia whakahotu, kia whakaora, kia arotake hoki. Ka waiho ērā whakamātunga hei kai mā te marea, ā, he mea tautoko nā ngā kaitoi anō, nā ngā hoa, nā ngā wharetoi me ngā piringa pakihi i pēnā ai. I te mutunga iho, e pīrangi ana au i aku toi kia wehe i taku whare me te whai i tōna ake oranga. Me he whaea au, pēnā e noho ana au ki te taupuni mahi toi, ki wāhi kē atu i tōku whānau, me whai ahau i te toi e tautoko ana, e whakawete ana hoki i tō tātou wehewehenga ahurea.
He aha rā tāu mea ake nei?
Oroko wā peita au ki te kanawēhi uatoko i ngā tau ē hia kē nei, me te aha hoki, e hīkaka ana au ki te anganga pēheatanga. E whakamāori ana au i taku hautaka Matariki (mai i te tuhinga me ngā tānga ā-ringa ki ngā peitatanga), me te whakawhanaketia ngā huatau ki ngā wheako wairua ōku ake. Ainī pea ka whakakitea atu hei te raumati… Ki te kore, ko whai wāhi au ki ētahi whakaaturanga ā-rōpū e tae rā anō ki When The Dust Settles ki Artspace hei tēnei kōanga.
Nā Taurapa Matiu te whakamāoritanga.
This story is also available in English. Read it in ArtZone #88
