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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
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.