Past the Measuring Stick
This series is a personal exploration that seeks to challenge racial pigeon-holing in Australian contemporary society by seamlessly combining my European, Aboriginal and Māori backgrounds together to create a hybrid cultural identity.
Past the Measuring Stick explores the first contact between the three cultures by revisiting and combining traditional tool-making techniques from each culture during the late 18th and early 19th century. This is represented in the contemporary revival of the unique 19th century Ambrotype photographic process and the hybridised tools contained within them, as well as the Wodli (dwelling) that features an English-style front door, the Māori method of roof thatching and the Pou Pou (totems) with my own hybrid cultural design.
This series attempts to re-contextualise my ancestral history by creating a platform where European, Aboriginal and Māori cultures merge harmoniously into one, free from conflict or dispute.
Past the Measuring Stick explores the first contact between the three cultures by revisiting and combining traditional tool-making techniques from each culture during the late 18th and early 19th century. This is represented in the contemporary revival of the unique 19th century Ambrotype photographic process and the hybridised tools contained within them, as well as the Wodli (dwelling) that features an English-style front door, the Māori method of roof thatching and the Pou Pou (totems) with my own hybrid cultural design.
This series attempts to re-contextualise my ancestral history by creating a platform where European, Aboriginal and Māori cultures merge harmoniously into one, free from conflict or dispute.
