Contemplating SCANZ2013 Themes – Revisiting Scalpland

One of the things I have enjoyed most so far about the residency is the diversity of artists and art forms included in SCANZ. I have particularly loved the strong links between art, the environment and Indigenous knowledge. A powerful theme that has resonated is the connection between land and body – not being separate entities but coexisting and connected. This is strong in many Indigenous cultures and we have learnt so much over the last week, through the generosity of the Māori people involved in the residency and the people we have met through them, in particular Jo and Terri.

This relationship between land and body, especially articulated through performance and song has reminded my of one of my earliest works addressing land, body and identity – Scalpland.

This ‘poetic performance’ involved me clippering my hair off, using my head as a metaphor for land development and as…