SENTINEL INSTALLATION
> ART DIRECTION
> The award winning photography of Edin Whitehead will mark an organic beginning of the exhibition and expose the stunning characteristics of seabirds central to the Sentinel narrative. Through her own connection with the manu, Whitehead’s photography establishes a strong sense of the personality these sea faring creatures imbue.
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André Bellvé's
work with data modelling reveals in shocking contrast how much our ecology has shifted over the last hundred years. As sea bird populations play a pivotal role in our country’s ecological mechanics, the repercussions of such a shift could well be disastrous.
> Nat Geo’s recently published an article about Bellve’s research, including Whiteheads and Richard Robinsons photographic works.
> Modelling the distribution of some of Aotearoa's native seabirds (petrels, prions, storm-petrels and shearwaters) it shows that these species in the past were much more common through-out the interior of both islands (warm colours indicate higher probability of habitat). Unfortunately, due to the introduction of mammalian predators, the current range of these species has been whittled down. Small populations tenuously hang on to the coast or predator-free refuges. These birds form integral components of the forest ecosystems they live in, moving nutrients from the ocean to the trees that need them and bolstering their growth, burrowing into the soil creating new and unique habitat for other species, and thus contributing to the diversity of the ecological communities.
> Although this modelling maybe not be presented to viewers immediately, it has informed our artistic directions. Sampling, abstraction, and isolation, not to mention the cold colour palette of heatmaps establish a common denominator for our artists.
> Nat Geo’s recently published an article about Bellve’s research, including Whiteheads and Richard Robinsons photographic works.
> Modelling the distribution of some of Aotearoa's native seabirds (petrels, prions, storm-petrels and shearwaters) it shows that these species in the past were much more common through-out the interior of both islands (warm colours indicate higher probability of habitat). Unfortunately, due to the introduction of mammalian predators, the current range of these species has been whittled down. Small populations tenuously hang on to the coast or predator-free refuges. These birds form integral components of the forest ecosystems they live in, moving nutrients from the ocean to the trees that need them and bolstering their growth, burrowing into the soil creating new and unique habitat for other species, and thus contributing to the diversity of the ecological communities.
> Although this modelling maybe not be presented to viewers immediately, it has informed our artistic directions. Sampling, abstraction, and isolation, not to mention the cold colour palette of heatmaps establish a common denominator for our artists.
> TE PAPANGA PUTIPUTI // MANU TUKUTUKU
> 3 Meter high sculpted Puhutukawa fabric buds with white tactile surfaces struck by shifting light beckon visitors through the exhibition. Flying above are the skeletal abstractions of the lost manu, dissolving into intricately woven kites of wire and thread. All around us are the abstracted ghosts of the ngāi tipu.
> Te Papanga Putiputi highlights the relationship that our sea birds share with our country’s flora. By migrating nutrients from the ocean onto the land, the manu fortify the soil that sustains these plants. And when the manu struggle, the plant life will share in that struggle.
> Te Papanga Putiputi is the sculptural textile practice of Lani Purkis. Te Papanga Putiputi ki Kaitiaki draws on the relationships that seabirds have with Aotearoa’s native flora. Running in parallel with all other installation pieces, Purkis’ flora contextualises Sentinel and provides immersion throughout the exhibition. Viewers begin on a carpet of life size Horokaka, a coastal plant traditionally used for healing, sewn individually with natural fibres - harakeke, cotton velvets, wool and naturally dyed linen. Nga Putiputi will modulate along with Sentinel’s narrative of abstraction and estrangement. Husked Toetoe, and intricate Kopakopa devolve into unrecognisable geometries, sharp angles and wired edges. Synthetic fabrics such as nylon and viscose provide new projection surfaces that react to audience progression.
>Concept sketches by Lani Purkis
>Stills from concept animations for the wall projections opposing the cliff sculpture, by Marcel Bellvé
> As Sentinel turns from the organic to abstraction, data modelling takes the form of glitches and video art. Bleeding landscapes and abstracted oceans tell the story of what's to come as if
Bellvé's
Blackbox algorithm had emotions to go with its premonitions. Our colour palette shifts towards the UV vision of birds and heatmapping.
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> At the heart of the installation is a large cliff-like structure. This cliff is dormant but wakes up as our story teller and recounts the story of the seabirds’ beginnings, their relationship with the land, and the plight that they now face. It shifts into the form of a massive tree trunk when lamenting the effects on its nutritional relationship with the lost manu as an opposing wall projection turns from coastal ocean to dense bush.
> The structure will be projection mapped and used as a film screen for a short story that communicates the nuts and bolts messaging in more certain terms than the more esoteric portions of the installation. It’s geometry signals the fractured state of the manu, lighting up separate faces at times, and unifying it’s planes at others. It is opposed by a 2D wall projection that counterpoints the cliff with an ocean, the tree with bush, etc. The wall may play as second speaker, perhaps in the manner of tū atu, tū mai format.
> Stylised imagery follows the story arc of the most understood species, the Tītī (Cook’s Petrel), as it retreats offshore to island safe havens which prove not to be so safe after all. The story ends by raising awareness of the people and communities involved in rehabilitating our maritime ecology. Finally the cliff slinks back into its hibernation until it is time to tell its story once more.
> SOUND SCAPE
> The Sentinel soundscape looks to build an immersive sonic bed to accompany the exhibiting visual work. The basis of the soundscape will be a surround sound sonic experience constructed of natural recordings captured in the field by our team that modulates as our narrative progresses. This invites patrons into our seabird’s ecosystem and immerses them in the story our scientists are telling. In tandem with this will be an ambient music component created through the spectral and granular processing of seabird recordings using a couple of notable methods.
> The sound design for Sentinel aims to build on the concepts initially explored in spectral music in the 60s and 70s by classical composers such as Per Nørgård and Gérard Grisey. This concept focuses on dismantling sound into its most fundamental parts via mathematical analysis and reconstructing these raw ingredients to synthesise a sonic composition.
> Sentinel’s narrative is founded on empirical evidence gathered by our collaborating scientists. In designing the sonic components for Sentinel, Sterling reflects the approach of a scientist gathering data.
> Sterling’s observations are derived through spectral analysis. He looks to generate his own set of data that can be aggregated with the research of our scientists - one set of data influencing the other for the purposes of creative composition. While the data output by sonic spectral observations and analysis provides instrumentation, the raw scientific data from our science team can be its modulator, structure or even a generator.
> We will be updating this page as things progress. More to come soon!
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> Have a look at our original pie-in-the-sky mockup: