Inspired by an expanded conception of how a digital sculpture might respond to a specific site at the same time as interacting with a participating audience, this project geo-located a series of digital interventions within the natural ecology of Tamaki Makaurau (Auckland City). The project responded to the historical and cultural background of one particular site: Maungawhau, an urban mountain and dormant volcano on whose slopes were built a hotly contested Maori Pa (village), prized for it’s commanding defensive view over the lands below.
Drawing on my Maori heritage and the connections that formed with Maungawhau (Mt. Eden), my artworks were available using QR codes embedded at the site on physical fenceposts and other markers. Designed as my own digital interpretations of ancient cultural forms: a manu aute (kite), manu rere (bird) and kete (basket), these virtual sculptures were available to view at the site via smartphone and tablet, as video triggered on participant’s portable mobile devices. The recordings combined the virtual sculptures with a digitally synthesised soundscape evoking sonic changes in the natural ecology.

In June 2013, I presented a paper on this project at the 19th International Symposium on Electronic Art in Sydney. Link is here: https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/handle/2123/9700

In December 2014, I presented an installation version at the Postscreen Festival in Lisbon, Portugal, hosted by the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Lisbon.

Timeline: 2013- present.
Location: Auckland City, various sites.