Monday, February 28, 2011

After calamity ... may we be strong.

 

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Maori rebel flag: Aotearoa



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Ralph Hotere



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Cruciform II Ralph Hotere - from Human Rights series



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Colin McCahon



Tīkoki ana te waka o Aoraki!
Ko Rūaumoko e ngunguru nei!
He parekura! He parekura! He parekura e!
Ko te motu whānui tonu kua pani.
Kei te hunga kua riro ki te pō, moe mai rā.
Kei ngā makorea, he aha rā he kōrero mō koutou?
Ko te Atua hei whakawhirinakitanga atu mō koutou
hei aupehi i te mamae, ā ngākau, ā wairua.
Kia piki te ora, piki te kaha ki a koutou katoa.
The canoe of Aoraki rocks!
It is Rūaumoko, earth shaker, rumbling!
Causing great calamity! 
The nation mourns.
To those who’ve breathed their last breath,
Rest in peace.
To the survivors, what words can we possibly say?
Let the Creator be your support in this time of pain.
Be strong, get well soon.


"Te Papa expresses its sympathy for the people of Christchurch" is the title of a post I found this morning on the blog of the Te Papa Museum in Wellington , NZ's capital city. The Maori culture is wonderfully represented in this excellent museum... I'm adding this as well....


In the Wellington Foyer, Level 2 of the Museum there is now a place for staff and members of the public to express their condolences. On display is a small boulder of pounamu, symbolising aroha – love and support – for the earthquake victims, their families and friends. It has a tangible connection with the South Island – Te Wai Pounamu – as it was sourced from the Arahura River, Westland. This variety of pounamu is known as kawakawa – as are the leaves of mourning placed on the case in which it sits.
If you would like to help with the Christchurch Quake Appeal, you can do so through the Red CrossMayoral Fund and Salvation Army to name a few. There is also a donations box at Te Papa. All donations will be passed on to the emergency services.


Art at Te Papa by William McAloon (Te Papa Press, 2009)
A Museum publication



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Alembic (The sea) -Ross James



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Lava field - Grant Keith



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South Westland - Russell Clark



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Pam Debenham 1984



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Richard Kileen 

All images above form the Te Papa online collections. Below images form Christchurch Art Gallery.



Yachts on Lyttelton Harbour | 99/285
Doris Lusk - Yachts on Littleton Harbour


Canterbury Plains From Cashmere Hills | 74/172
Doris Lusk - Canterbury Plains from Cashmere Hills


Its always fascinating to view work that comes from a particular region... despite the universality of ideas, medium and forms of art there is much to be said for pouring over the collected works coming from a particular part of the world ... it can offer another layer of experience that can be incredibly useful for gleaning insight into a place and its people.


The artist below, Ray Crooke, painted memorable works from the islands of northern Queensland and the Pacific. After viewing his work a certain yearning to visit comes over me. I found an interesting Qld State Library reference to his work here. I really hope to get to Cairns and the north this year ... the recent cyclone has left many with an incredible task ahead of them. To anyone who's trying to rebuild my thoughts go out to you... wherever you may be!


Ray Crooke



Ray Crooke - Island song


The Art of Ray Crooke
Ray Crooke


Before I head off I want to mention this astonishingly watchable film I saw with friends last night. The title of this post - "After calamity... may we be strong" - is fitting.  INSIDE JOB offers up a  brilliantly constructed analysis on what brought us to our knees globally in the Global Financial Crisis ... and poignantly makes links to the most vulnerable in this story of global consequence ...those who suffered loss of homes, livelihoods, opportunities, accees to education... the homeless and impoverished ... and for what... the greed of a few and the benefit of the top 1%.  I thought this film might be arduous... it was actually compelling and a must see... and this morning I read that the future of food is being gambled on in the same way the sub-prime housing market was. I'm just getting my head around that... there'll be more at the homage to the seed blog as soon as possible on that! This is an emerging story!!!

Inside Job is up for an Oscar... I dont know what other films it's up against... no doubt other very deserving docos... can I just say... if you have not seen this film... see it.... whether or not it wins an Oscar...
we all need to know the background to this story .... and the biggest shock for me... some of the very same people who architected the avoidable fate of so many in 2008 are back in key position in US GOVT etc. WHAT IS THIS??????
This affects all of us... artists have had a big wake up call along with everyone else. People are thinking twice about how they spend their money ... this film will make you think a few more times too!

Have a good week ... and as a wonderful blogosphere friend says:

Be safe all.  Be strong.  Be smart.  Persist.
visit Mlle Paradis here

PS I promise I'll post something lighter next time. I have finally got some huge tasks out of the way and my paints are sitting there staring at me... its been 6 weeks since i was in a position to paint... and Im missing it badly!



8 comments:

Mlle Paradis said...

sophie - just spotted this! thanks so much! glad you thought enough of my little hearts to use them.

watching the oscars, doing some paperwork and putting together a post - with a little shoutout to you too. so will come back soon to read the whole thing which looks thoughtful and wonderful as your offerings always are. xo! c.

Sophie Munns said...

MP.... so glad you dont mind...i wrote to check... your visual/textual gesture struck me as such a simple but powerful way to speak to the time we live in... crisis rocks us near and far... in many guises and forms... we have to be courageous people to face up and not bury heads in sand.... or get lost in grief or fear!
That film showed the enormous flow on from the callous and greed-filled decisions of a few... so short-sighted... they have children... and their children have children... and no one is immune to the challenges of today ... we have to work together... al things are linked!
Looking forward to a few images from the oscars later ... enjoy!
Sophia xo

Mlle Paradis said...

s. insid job got the oscar for best documentary! hope i'm not spoiling it for anyone! xoxoxo

(don't get me started about the subject of that movie!)

Sophie Munns said...

Fantastic MP...

i just hope people go see it!
thanks for letting me know,
S xo

india flint said...

if you donate to the earthquake appeal
visit here

http://prophet-of-bloom.blogspot.com/2011/02/christchurch-earthquake-and-kind-of.html

and think about emailing me a copy of your receipt - i'm giving a milkymerino travel blanket to the "highest donor" and a random lucky draw parcel to another donor

Sophie Munns said...

India...
thats a great offer... maybe I'll do a small post to catch people's attention.
S

KatrinaRecycled said...

Wishing you well with getting to your paints and paintbrushes Sophie!
I think its been about the same time for me... Time sneaks past so quickly sometimes!
The last couple of posts have been very enlightening and enjoyable as always - thanks!

Sophie Munns said...

When you listed everything on your to do list Katrina I was thinking its lucky you ever get your paints out and bravo to you for making time!
I appreciate your warm wishes... hey... if you see the film tell me what you think! Glad you visited!
S