Distinguished Professor Dame Anne Salmond
Anne Salmond is a Distinguished Professor in Maori Studies and Anthropology at the University of Auckland, and the author of many award-winning books and articles on Maori life and early contacts between Europeans and islanders in Polynesia. She has has been honoured with a Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement.
She is a Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences in the US and Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy, the only New Zealander to have won both awards. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand; Fellow of the NZ Academy of the Humanities; and a Dame Commander of the British Empire.
Anne Salmond is the Project Sponsor of the Starpath Partnership for Excellence, aimed at enhancing educational equality for Maori, Pacific and low income students; and an engaged environmentalist. She is the 2013 New Zealander of the Year.
Professor Michael Walker
>Professor Walker (Whakatōhea) is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and the Royal Institute of Navigation in London. He is best known for his research on the existence, capacities, and use of the magnetic sense in navigation over long distances. Recently, he has developed research investigating the mechanisms of the lunar and tidal rhythms in marine organisms.
Over the last 20 years, Mike has also worked to increase participation of Māori and Pacific Island (MPI) people in all aspects of the sciences and research beginning with the Tuākana Programme in the School of Biological Sciences and through his teaching. Mike was a founding Joint Director of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, New Zealand’s Māori Centre of Research Excellence, from 2002-2010.
His personal research and work in Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga were profiled in Science (318, 904-7) in 2007, he was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2009, and was also awarded the Prime Minister’s Supreme Award for Sustained Tertiary Teaching Excellence in 2011.
Professor Paul Tapsell
Professor Paul Tapsell is Chair of Māori Studies and Dean of Te Tumu, the School of Maori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies, at the University of Otago. Paul's research interests include Māori identity in 21st century New Zealand, cultural heritage & museums, taonga trajectories in and beyond tribal contexts, Māori values within governance policy frameworks, Indigenous entrepreneurial leadership, marae and mana whenua, genealogical mapping of tribal landscapes and Te Arawa historical and genealogical knowledge.
Before his move back to academia, Paul held museum positions, notably at Auckland War Memorial Museum, and is a former member of the Board of Museums Aotearoa.
Nohopuku - dreams of space shifting
In 2009, Louise Potiki Bryant undertook a choreographic internship with artistic director of Kaha:wi Dance Theatre; Santee Smith, in the city of Toronto and at Six Nations Reserve, in Ontario, Canada. As part of the documentation of her experience in Canada, Louise sketched images of her body’s metaphorical inner landscape responding to interactions with people and landscapes (both urban and natural). These portraits provide inspiration for a video and choreographic landscape where natural forms and the human body are caught and fragmented in mirror glass windows. With NOHOPUKU – dreams of space shifting, Louise’s on-stage performance intersects with a projected video-scape, blurring the boundaries between film and live performance.
‘With Nohopuku Dreams of Space Shifting she (Louise) meditates on 'her body's metaphorical inner landscape', which is undeniably shaped by language, heritage and the land...Louise manages to integrate her videography and live performance with ease. She clearly speaks both these languages fluently. I never felt the fight to chose what I was watching. She commanded the space and the screens were like living breathing pou which framed the work.’ Reviewed by Julia Milsom, 16 Oct 2011.
‘Captivating projected visual imagery by Louise, and a sound score by Paddy Free that includes the use of Louise’s fragmented voice, animalistic sounds and prominent rhythmical beats, provide a striking synthesis that enhance and intensify the performance. Louise Potiki Bryant’s latest work undeniably causes the spectator to reflect upon identity, femininity and human interaction, to say the least. The natural surroundings provide a striking backdrop... As the sea, earth, and human presence unite in this space, the audience is transported for a brief moment in time. Thoughts prevail and we are left with a lingering sense of admiration.’ Reviewed by Shanon O'Sullivan, 22 Feb 2010.
Biography - Louise Potiki Bryant
Choreographer - Dancer - Video Artist
Louise Potiki Bryant is one of New Zealand’s most exciting Māori choreographers. Of Ngai Tahu descent, she has been widely praised for her work with Atamira Dance Company, with whom she has created five works since 2000, including NGAI TAHU 32 ('Best contemporary dance production 2004', NZ Listener), TE AROHA ME TE MAMAE ('Best New Choreographer 2003', NZ Listener), and TAONGA; dust water wind which was awarded ‘Best Production’ ‘Best Music’ and ‘Best Scenography’ at the Tempo Dance Festival 2010.
Louise has also choreographed dance works for companies such as Curve and Black Grace Dance Company, for whom she choreographed the work NIGHT BLOOMS in 2006. Louise’s on-going collaboration with researcher and musician Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal (through the organisation Orotokare, art story, motion) has spanned eight years, in which time Louise and Charles have developed a new Whare Tapere training method and the new Whare Tapere dance work; TE KĀROHIROHI. TE KĀROHIROHI premiered in February
2011 at the Whare Tapere at Waimango.
Alongside her group works, Louise also has a strong body of solo works, which draw on her interdisciplinary practice, and her unique movement vocabulary and performance qualities, inspired by Māori traditional and contemporary performance practices. For her performance of the solo work NOHOPUKU – dreams of space shifting, Louise was awarded ‘Stand–out Performer’ ‘Best Dance’, as well as the ‘Best of Fringe’ Award at the Dunedin Fringe Festival 2010. Louise also won ‘the most innovative choreography’ award at Kowhiti Dance 2011 for her performance of her solo; TUMUTUMU.
Louise’s works have a strong interdisciplinary focus. She designs installations and set pieces for her works, and is responsible for the design, production and editing of the projected video elements - an integral part of each performance. She has made three dance films, WHAKARURUHAU, AORAKI and NOHOPUKU. A music video she created for Ariana Tikao’s song TUIA was awarded ‘Best Music Video’ at the ImagineNATIVE film festival in Toronto, Canada.
Louise has an ongoing collaboration with singer/songwriter Ariana Tikao which began with Louise designing the video projections for Ariana’s live show and the music video for Ariana's single TUIA, in 2008. Their collaboration continued, with Louise designing video projections for Ariana’s live show OHAKI, which premiered at the Christchurch Arts Festival in 2009. In 2012, Louise made the music video for Ariana’s new single TE HEKE.
In 2003, Louise was supported by Toi Maori Aotearoa to develop the concept for her signature work NGAI TAHU 32 which premiered at the Tempo Dance Festival in Auckland in 2004. Atamira Dance Company have gone on to perform NGAI TAHU 32 to acclaim throughout Aotearoa, and Hawaii and Atamira still perform NGAI TAHU 32 to this day. Also in 2003, Louise was the Ngai Tahu artist in residence at The Otago Polytechnic School of Art, where she developed the installation, performance and short film WHAKARURUHAU he mihi ki Araiteuru.
The film WHAKARURUHAU was exhibited for one and half years at the Pasifika Styles Festival in Cambridge, U.K. and has also been presented at The Pacific Arts Festival in Belau.
In 2007, Louise was awarded a Wild Creations Residency. Living at Aoraki / Mt Cook village for six weeks, she created the short dance film and solo dance performance AORAKI, which premiered at The Body Festival in 2007. The film AORAKI has been screened at the Nelson Festival of the Arts, The Body Festival 2007, Pool 07 International Film Festival, and the International Dance Film Festival in Yokohama Film Festival in Japan, and was exhibited in the ‘Dateline Return’ Exhibition at the Govett Brewster Gallery.
In 2009, Louise undertook a choreographic internship with Santee Smith, the artistic director of Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, in Toronto, Canada.
In 2012, Louise designed the video for the album launch of Toni Huata’s album HOPUKIA, with footage Louise captured at the 11th Festival of Pacific Arts 2012, in Solomon Islands. Also in 2012, Louise designed the video for the premiere season of the new opera by the NZ Opera Company; HOHEPA written by Jenny McLeod, and directed by Sara Brodie.
Other video design work includes the video design for MEMOIRS OF ACTIVE SERVICE and TE HOUHI - both choreographed by Maaka Pepene.
Louise’s practice has also included collaborations with other artists, such as TURANGA, a collaboration with video artist, Rachael Rakena, and KOHATU, a collaboration with lighting designer Vanda Karolczak, which was presented at the Auckland Festival of Arts in 2007. Her most recent collaboration is with Ceramics Artist Paerau Corneal with a performance installation called KIRI.
Louise has a Bachelor of Performing and Screen Arts with a major in Contemporary Dance and a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Maori Studies. Her teaching experience has included positions at The University of Otago, The University of Auckland, and the Unitec School of Performing and Screen Arts, teaching courses in choreography, interdisciplinary practice, and video - dance. Louise also teaches yoga at three studios: Herne Bay Yoga, Mt Eden Iyengar Yoga and at Piha Yoga, and she is currently undertaking teacher-training in Iynengar Yoga with Senior Iyengar Yoga Instructor; Melodie Batchelor.
Biography - Paddy Free
Composer
Paddy Free is one of New Zealand's most respected electronic musicians. Recording and performing internationally with Pitch Black and as a solo artist, he has written music for film, theatre, dance, television and multimedia art, as well as acting as producer and engineer for many world-renowned New Zealand artists.
Paddy was the co-producer and co-engineer of Salmonella Dub's Killervision, One Drop East and Freak Controller albums, and producer of Inside the Dub Plates which has sold over four times platinum. He has been twice-nominated for Best Producer at the Tuis - the New Zealand Music Awards - and in 2002 was awarded Best Engineer.
As a producer/engineer, keyboard player and general studio boffin, Paddy has worked with a diverse range of New Zealand and International bands such as Crowded House, Killing Joke, Neil Finn, Kora, The Adults, Oceania, Supergroove, Emma Paki, Moana and the Moahunters, to name just a few.
As a composer for arts and contemporary dance projects, Paddy has worked with Atamira Dance Company, Mau and Black Grace. He has composed several soundtracks for installation works by multimedia artist Rachael Rakena. Rachael's work, Aniwaniwa was shown at the Sydney and Venice Biennales in 2007.
However it is Pitch Black, with Michael Hodgson, for which Paddy is best known. Since forming in 1996, Pitch Black have been at the forefront of New Zealand electronica, renowned for their mind-blowing multimedia live performances and four sonically cutting-edge albums. Since 1996 Pitch Black have pl ayed all over New Zealand and Australia, and toured to the UK, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, Austria, Croatia, Japan and the USA.
Paddy has been performing a live set of Pacific-influenced electronica at festivals such as WOMAD and The Gathering since 1999, and his debut solo album, entitled Karekare: Te Reo O Te Whenua, was released in July 2008. A collaboration with renowned taonga puoro (traditional Maori instruments) expert Richard Nunns, it weaves electronica with taonga puoro and vocals in te reo Maori from Tiki Taane, Waimihi Hotere, Corinna Hunziker and Te Wharetatao. Karekare represents a uniquely New Zealand sound, truly The Language of the Land.
Paddy is currently a member of Maori groups Reo, with Te Ahukaramu Charles Royal, James Webster, Horomona Horo, Erina Daniels and Alistair Fraser, and Nga Tae with Richard Nunns, Horomona Horo, and Waimihi Hotere. Through his involvement with these artists he is furthering the exploration of taonga puoro with electronica and dub production. Nga Tae recently performed at WOMAD NZ 2011, and Byron Bay Bluesfest in Australia to great accl aim. Their eponymous debut album was released in June 2012.
As well a being a world class musician and live performer, Paddy is recognised as an international-level expert on the Ableton Live performance software, and has given lectures and clinics on live performance with technology in New Zealand and Australia, the USA, UK and Europe.