Autumn in Dunedin
Here in this part of the world it’s that lovely time of year when all the colours of trees start to change. The sun is now a fraction lower in the sky, the mornings and evenings are becoming a tad colder with a definite autumnal feel to the start of each day. Around the city, the autumn colour palette of warm yellow undertones mixed with oranges, reds, ochre and olive colours is starting to appear. Before long the inner city will be covered in leaves.
He kOTuku rEREnga tahi
When it comes to Social Media, I’ve recently found myself in a rather negative space. To be clear, I don’t mean fits of depression, self-loathing or acts of self-harm. I simply mean feeling robotic, less human if you will. I had this realization about a month back when I found myself scrolling through the mountains of posts that were appearing on my Facebook and Instagram feeds.
You see, I’ve long been a person where any spare minute of the day was spent making patterns out of clouds, watching the way shadows form around objects, making patterns out of coins on a table or just sitting and watching life! However, recently I found myself scrolling. Scrolling, scrolling and scrolling for no reason. I knew serious action was needed when I found myself reading memes! I’ve never read memes, I don’t like them. But, it was in a moment of reading a meme when I realised I’d lost touch with my creative instincts. Action was needed!! So, I did three things. First, spend less time on social media. Second, read a few books. Third, go for a few walks.
The first book I pulled off the shelf was ‘The Dark Is Light Enough by Vincent O’Sullivan, a biographical portrait. The second was Victory Over Death: The Art of Colin McCahon by Rex Butler and Laurence Simmons. Once I’d finished these books, it led me to visiting the Hōtere Garden Oputae in Port Chalmers, which in turn led me to wanting to create a response to what I saw. What I didn’t want to do was simply photograph the garden, what I wanted was to create an artwork that was a response to my time in the garden. Upon leaving, I asked myself, did I have anything to say and what was it?The resulting image/s (which turned into an unlinked series) I hummed and harred a lot over posting. They are probably the most personal things I’ve ever done. So, with a touch of nervousness and a lot of honesty today on my blog I present an art work I call:
He kOTuku rEREnga tahi
Maori Hill-Roslyn Tram No 1– Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery
I’d be driven indoors by a late summer rain shower that had hung around the city all day. Not being discouraged and deterred, I was determined to see things around the city and so to pass the time until the rain stopped, I was exploring what I thought was a museum. I was a bit confused on this fact as it seemed to have been turned into a giant playground as parents were allowing children to freely run around the museum, making the most monstrous noise. I was wanting to photograph the old Maori Hill-Roslyn Tram No 1 and after 10 minutes of patiently waiting while children ignored their parents’ demands to “get here now!” I was able to get the clear shot I wanted.
Queens Garden in Autumn– Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery
Thus it was that I found myself on a Saturday morning, on an exceptionally warm and still day walking through the city. I sat on the concrete steps of the Cenotapth, and in wonderful autumn sunshine watched as cars moved past the office blocks, museums, art galleries and other various buildings that lined The Exchange and Queens Garden.