Cultivate

This temporary installation is part of Tidelines, presented by Boosted and Waterfront Auckland.

In a performance entitled Cultivate, staged with the help from the H.E.P.T. collective, urban taros will be planted in rows, suggestive of an island plantation, along the edge of the newly constructed Daldy Street. The urban taros will mark the performers’ brief occupation of the empty space. They will also trace and speak of the migration of the many Pacific Islanders who have come to Auckland, in the same way that the story of the taro can be traces back to its trans-Pacific origin as the South American sweet potato.

“I like to explore the idea of a story within a story, and often revisit previous artworks to respond to the new talanoa that have been collected. I hope that new stories can soak into this work during the time it is down at the waterfront.”

H.E.P.T. have worked together since 2008. Their main focus is to enable others to succeed. Their name, Help Everyone Pass Together speaks to the reason of their formation, which came from a response to the individualistic studio culture prevalent in arts institutions. Performing under their aliases – Eagleman, Stallion, Wolfman, Bullman and Antman – the members’ identities and the culture of the performing bodies are neutralised by wearing anonymous-making uniforms. The culture of H.E.P.T. is inclusive, collaborative and beyond self, and their facilitatory practice is kept intentionally broad to enable responsive and adaptive methods of working.

John Vea

21 March 9am

Wynyard Quarter, Corner of Halsey & Jellicoe Street, Auckland