whispering forests, silicon dreaming and shivering spirits

Image Title: Whispering forests, silicon dreaming and shivering spirits
Credit: Photographer Nabulen Ignacio @na.bu.len
Forest light installation Jarred Taylor
Manipulation of the original photograph by Jarred Taylor

artist statement

As an artist I am deeply committed to the intersection of sustainable arts, community engagement and digital innovation. 

The current financial, political, technological, and cultural conditions in Aotearoa present the most hostile environment for wellbeing we have ever collectively faced. The impact on artists is particularly ironic. At a period where the benefits of the arts are well documented and empirically understood, the preconditions necessary for enabling arts to thrive are the most counterproductive to the wellbeing and resilience of the arts sector. The ongoing decimation of the arts in Aotearoa will have profound long-term societal impacts.

However, this adverse environment provides the ripe conditions for a significant shift in how artists respond to this dire threat against our collective wellbeing and resilience. We need to resist this concerted hostility towards the arts and artists.

Throughout history, artists have often stood at the vanguard of resistance, wielding creativity for its essentiality to human flourishing and as a medium against oppression. In particularly oppressive regimes where censorship reigned, and freedoms were curtailed, art became a subversive tool, cloaked in metaphor and symbolism to evade the watchful eyes of authority. 

Many resistance movements have retreated to forests or jungles. This setting allowed them to plan and organise effectively, creating opportunities to strengthen and refine their strategies before re-emerging to reclaim territories. These movements have often been closely connected with vibrant art movements, using art as both a tool of resistance and a means of preserving identity. From swamp foxes, partisans, Masquisards, rebels, freedom fighters, the Mau Mau, and Farcs to Zapatistas, the jungles and forests were sites of resistance. These sites of resistance provided concealment, safety, protection, autonomy, resources and inspiration.

I plan to research and experiment with literal and metaphorical forests as sites of coalescence for arts resistance. I want to explore the obvious and hidden ways in which the forest has inspired past movements and investigate ways in which we can support wellbeing, resilience and reappropriation of emerging technology.