April 27th - War Museum

This week we went to the museum and what I found most interesting was the very top level of the building where all the war objects were which is ironic because I've never really been interested in the subject of war. The first room was of a town in the time of Word War I in America, it was fascinating to walk through because it was like really being there and it reminded me of films I had seen based on towns like that. The stores all looked western as well which, because I live in Pukekohe, reminded me of photographs I had seen of Franklin when it looked like the old west and that was very probably around the times of war also. You can actually tell by looking at the buildings down the main street in Pukekohe that they have been there since that time.

Walking through the fake town I came to the middle of the upper floor where names of soldiers who had died in the war were written on the walls, some had poppy badges next to them probably placed by family. There was also a large niche where there was a sculpture containing plaques and real flowers placed by people who wrote on cards for men who died in the war.

The room I'm choosing to explore as a narrative however is the room after the listed names: the weaponry room. I found the narrative thread in this room to be more of a journey through time, the ages, and space as it jumps to different cultures and countries. The theme of the room is obviously war but more specifically by looking at the weapons you get a clear picture of life in the past being very brutal and that tough life contrasts greatly with the beauty and elegance of the hand crafted weapons. The weapons were displayed in glass cases and numbered so you could read the information about each individual weapon like where it was from and when it was made. Displaying them this way was to me very effective because having the glass between the weapon and yourself emphasised the fact that they are important, untouchable objects that don't belong in your world. The different types of weapons were displayed in groups like pistols, rifles, shotguns, swords, and spears. They aren't really displayed in order according to date or culture but you can see how each display shows different time eras like 18th century England, Italy, or the USA. There is even a case containing knight armour from the time of King Arthur. Some of the weapons that stood out to me were:
A Flintlock Pocket Pistol made in England 1770-1820 by Robert Wheeler, it had a small knife that could stick out of it which made me think of how in those days reloading wouldn't have been as simple or fast as it is now so soldiers would need that reasurance if they were forced into a close combat fight. I also learnt from looking at the guns that the Colt revolver which I've heard about alot was actually named after it's maker Colt Paterson.
There was a European sword called a Dress sword from early 18th century Italy that had beautiful engraved patterns on the handle and first quarter of the sword, and a Court sword from late 18th century England which was probably used as a mourning sword. The Court sword had very beautiful and intricate patterns as the hilt and both these swords I can easily compare to the engraved or metal/wood patterns covering moari objects on the bottom floor of the museum. I saw paddles for canoeing that had very pretty but very different styled patterns on them, they were made of wood so there is also a contrast of texture between the swords and the paddles. I also saw really beautiful ornate carved wooden walking sticks or tokotoko, some were made in the late 19th century but they hit a little closer to home if home is the European swords as some of the walking sticks were actually made in a European style.
The one weapon I liked most was a sword from 19th century Northern India called a Cobra sword. It was very interesting to look at as it was wavy in shape and had spiked edges, it appeared very dangerous and very different to all the other swords. Also the fact that it was from India was interesting as i always thought of swords coming from Asia like samurai swords or from Spain like in the film 'The Mask of Zoro'.

I quite liked this idea of displaying objects from different cultures from the past, putting them on display in museums like this seems like we are being forced to view these as objects from entirely different worlds and therefore they are worth paying money to see or studying intently. Like if these old weapons that carry with them a context of wars that made history, or if they have actually shed blood were put on display in homes or cafes like any modern day painting or photograph they would be viewed and regarded totally differently. This idea also makes me wonder if any of these weapons were so valuable in their own time anyway? Perhaps the Court sword had belonged to any nameless soldier not remebered. So in this line of thought I think back to our lecture on museum and representation: in the slide was an artist named Francis Upritchard who made an artwork called Pretty Necklace in 2009, she made it similarly to a native necklace you might see made of the teeth of an animal (how they sit together sticking out in a rounded row) but instead she replaced that with used cigarettes and straws. This object to us looks like it was found in the rubbish, it is dirty and probably smells bad but as was mention in the lecture if someone from the past or someone who knows nothing about our culture found it would they see it as interesting? As something to be preserved and displayed so people could look at it and contemplate where it came from? They might believe that it was valuble in the place it came from but truly it is not.

20th April - Tongan Style

This week we went to Fresh Gallery and saw an exhibition called Tongan Style which was a tribute to Tonga's cultural heritage and religion but also to the five Tongan artists who are women. The exhibit explores embroidery and crochet as fine arts as the items in the show strongly represent various Tongan ceremonies involving gift-giving, marriage, christenings, funerals, and most of the sheets can be used for decoration in church or the home. From looking at this exhibit I can easily understand that Tonga is very religious and very loyal to their identity as a race, as we were told at the gallery Tonga actually has more churches than schools. What stood out to me about this show was that everything was made from scratch and made by women, I think I heard someone say the work women shift? But also the fact that even though most of the items were made decades ago, in Tonga they are still current. Some examples are:

Tupenu matala'i'akau (1973/74)
An embroidered sheet by Kolokesa Kulikefu which was used as a blanket to carry her newborn niece in when going to church, hospital or to cover her bed when expecting visitors. This item reinforces the idea of strong religious ceremonies and views in Tonga. Also the patterns of flowers and birds represent and respect the relationship they have with the land which is a rather spiritual view.

Teunga Iotu (2002)
This church outfit by Noma 'Ofa-Ki-Nu-'usila Talakia'atu was made to be worn for the end of the year service for 2002. It features a ta 'ovala (waist mat) which is a significant part of the formal attire for church.
Teunga Iotu (September 2009)
This one also by Noma was made to be worn for Sepitema - a specific Sunday in September that is dedicated to women who have reached the equivalent of men's lay preacher, where they renew their governance with God.
Both of these outfits reinforce the idea of Tonga keeping to its culture, keeping its style current and though these church outfits look old and out of date they are actually what Tongan women would wear to church this Sunday.

Overall I really appreciate the link to culture and religion but also the technical side of it, the intricate detail of the threading and pattern etc. To sum up this exhibition I would say it is a small but strong representation of Tongan culture but with a modern overlay, it is like by having this show in NZ and particularly Otara it sends a particular message, one that safeguards Tonga's cultural heritage.

30th March - Triennial

We went to the triennial this week which explored the idea of art being more risky and adventurous. I didn't fully understand what this meant because the artworks I saw at the gallery didn't seem very risky or adventurous but more explored the idea of reality and imagination like Bundith Phunsombatlert's The Room with a Bird, where you walk through a passageway of bird perches triggering motion detectors which start the sounds of a bird flying around and chirping. It is an odd experience, hearing something so clear and real but not being able to see it to know it is real. Then there is Alicia Frankovich's Revolution (Martini Fountain) which could be risky if you think of it as representing a frail, sickly state of a human body, as an object or tool, and therefore offensive to someone who is actually sick but that seems very far fetched. This work focused so much on representing the human body, with the forever circulating fluids and almost skeletal body it didn't seem to create the theme of risk or adventure. So in my opinion, probably because of my not understanding, this triennial didn't fulfill it's own brief. If one artwork worked, more than others at least, it was Shilpa Gupta's Singing Cloud partnered with the airport-style flap board because the dark, disturbing mass of 4000 microphones emitting several different strange sounds looks very similar to a bomb or a mushroom cloud and the flap board continuously displays numbers representing casualties in different countries and words like death. This work strongly reflects terrorism, particularly like 711, and therefore is risky because it explores the psychology of fear and prejudice (prejudice being a very delicate subject). Terrorism is of coarse today's society's greatest fear, whereas in the past it might have been media moguls having too much power and influence or secrecy in foreign organisations so time was also a big part of the work, in another time in order to be risky the work would be completely different.