Breathing In - E hau ana i roto

interactive flash by Sonja van Kerkhoff,
music by Mahinarangi Tocker, Aotearoa / New Zealand,

text from the poem New Vessels by Sen McGlinn, Aotearoa / The Netherlands.

       
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This work is inspired by the beginning of the New Zealand Maori creation myth that tells of the long night, the pregnant night, the pulsating night, of the time and space before the world. Mahinarangi Tocker's chant in New Zealand Maori, Te Ripo (The void) also sings of fullness (spirit, love and nature), of creativity and creation that comes out of the primordal.

The texts are lines 97 to 111 of the epic poem (287 lines) New Vessels by Sen McGlinn. The texts tell of a journey through night, to a descent into darkness "where change is barely visible". I've used video footage taken in a variety of locations to heighten the sense of multiplicity, while the text trips and falls over itself, only to reappear as in a cycle. The text is a metaphor for nature's persistance and the context it gives creation, while the voices are intended as a metaphor for humanity's connections to nature, evoking the ethereal.

Sen McGlinn: Born in 1956, Christchurch, Aotearoa / New Zealand of Irish and English descent. He has 3 books of poetry (1987, 1984, 1987) published, one on theology (2005) and currently lives in the Netherlands.

Mahinarangi Tocker: Born in 1956 of Maori, Celtic, and Jewish descent, she is a singer/songwriter and poet based in Auckland, Aotearoa / New Zealand. She has 3 solo cds of music and appears on many compilations. She also has a book of poetry (2001) published.

Sonja van Kerkhoff: Born in 1960, Taranaki, Aotearoa / New Zealand of Dutch, Scottish, Isle of Mann, German, Irish and English descent. She has been working in flash since 2000, making videos since 1993, and art since the late 1970s. She currently lives in The Netherlands.

View the work online (requires flash player 7)