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Water Remembers

Water Remembers

2021

Created as part of the Islands Speak series of gifted Pacific poets joined by indigenous artists to create a visual, moving, digitally enhanced offering in this curated series of ten video poems. Islands Speak is part of the wider project Mana Moana – Pacific Voices, a collection of emotive and artistic video works that have been created to amplify and support the Pacific to drive global action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This initiative is supported by Aotearoa New Zealand and coordinated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme with support from many Pacific islands people, organisations and communities. These videos have been developed to be screened during the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) COP-26 and other relevant climate change events. 

Poetry &  Audio Performance
Brandy Nalani McDougall

Video Art
Rachael Rakena

Performance
Lupe Fisilau, Namomo Schaaf

Music and Sound Design 
Laughton Kora

Full credits at the end of the video

Artist Bio

Rachael Rakena

 Rachael Rakena (Ngāi Tahu, Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Pākehā) coined the term ‘Toi Rerehiko’ to describe and locate her own video/ digital/ electronic-based art practice in terms of continuum, motion, and collaboration. Critiquing notions of fluid identity and cultural understandings of space and water through metaphors of digital space as water space, inhabited by iwi Māori, her art installations have evolved to enculturate and politicize water itself, navigating issues of ongoing Pacific diaspora, flooding and rising sea levels, and decolonization/(re)vitalization. Exhibiting internationally for 20 years and lecturing for 25 years she is currently based at Whiti o Rehua School of Art, Massey University.