Visual Citizenship: Visual politics and documentary practice.

In recent times discussion of the “personhood” of our natural world has permeated mainstream conversation. While in the West this seems like radical new thinking, for Māori rivers, mountains, trees and all aspects of Papatuanuku (Mother Earth) have always been ancestors. ”Hikoi Wairua” is a work in progress that introduces the voices of Keith and Mercia Woods, of the Ngāti Rangi iwi (tribe) of Aotearoa-New Zealand. The Woods have for decades opened their home and their tribal lands to strangers. By sharing their world-view they hope to sow seeds that can help to heal our planet.

I have worked with Keith and Mercia for many years, both as an educator and an artist. I have recorded the intimate and moving experiences of those who experience this time on the mountain. I have also made a series of visual outcomes that reflect on the relationship between Ngāti Rangi and the national power company, Genesis Energy, who own and maintain a giant hydro-electric operation on their ancestral lands. This short film is part of a work-in-progress to amplify the voices of Ngāti Rangi.

in this session I will reflect on the “usefulness” of a post-documentary practice in relation to visual politics, and the complexities inherent in my own role as a non-indigenous artist.