Part tree, part canoe : an exegesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

Abstract

Using Australian artist and writer Ross Gibson's 'wayfinder' as a point of departure this essay discusses a range of recent moving image and performance works by Shannon Te Ao. Follow the party of the whale (2013), two shoots that stretch far out (2014), and Untitled (epilogue), (2015) are among the works discussed in relation to Maori spatial and temporal conceptions such as Te Kore and whakapapa. These frameworks, alongside content referencing Maori lyrical traditions are implicated within a discussion exploring various aspects of the local, social and cultural significance of poetic forms found in waiata and whakatauki. Metaphor and ambiguity - as they are enacted in live performance, and lyrical modes - are identified as tools to promote a poetic sensibility.