It has taken me a long time to come to the yearly “year in review” post for 2024. After the enormity of 2023, there was a need to pause to yield. Titling the annual post 2023 – into the void was an acknowledgement that the future was both open possibility and free-falling terror.
Up to that point I thought of the void as total surrender to the energies that are awakened – environmental, inter-relational and spiritual. In a western framework the Sublime comes to mind – beyond language, a moment or moments of breathlessness and being blinded and moved to tears by emotions that are spinning around and disorienting. And that the void was a giving into that infinite possibility.
To be honest, losing my sense of grounding makes me so frightened. I start to feel giddy as my body speaks through its tidal and planetary interactions with gravity. In 2024, there was a shift from that perception of traversing the void into something else, like surrender and yet not – yielding.
On reflection on the year that was 2024, it was necessary to yield. To let go of working in systems that were making me physically, mentally and spiritually sick. Of course, that comes with consequences – letting go of the benefits of such labour exchanges – money and prestige. That also means that you need to find other ways to survive, because until there is quantum shifts in society – we still exist in a capitalist system.
Our planet need us to yield – to proceed gently and with caution, not continue the human assault on her body, our home and our own human bodies because we are intrinsically woven together.
War, extractive processes, self-aggrandisement and ego need to yield to compassion, care and respect of differing perspectives with the recognition that we find to find the commonalities if we are to survive as a species.
So this post is presenting as more of a reflection than my usual summary of stuff 🙂
As an indulgence though, here are some highlights and reminders of the year gone by:
- Setting up a non-profit arm for Treecreate – Treecreate Studio Inc.
- Being researcher-in-residence at TransArts Institute’s |Liverpool John Moore University residency.
- Building on Treecreate’s collaboration with Awhiworld.
- Returning to Parihaka to spend time with my whanau at Puanga – this is the 5th time we have gone to honour this important time of the year.
- Going to Pukorukoru in Aotearoa to connect with some of the Weaving Water peeps.
- Working with Kristine and Charlotte Ellis on a Ghostnet project
- Editing Uncle Ron Powell’s story for a forthcoming book ❤
- Finally completing my MSci project at University of Canberra.
Here are some happy snaps 🙂
As the night find balance with the day…
And already in 2025 so much has happened. My beautiful friend and mentor Kuia Maata Wharehoka passed away after a long a debilitating illness. In true Maata style, 7 planets aligned when she passed and I have the uncanny sense that her and Dad have a great time laughing at my awkward, clumsy ways.
As I close this post, I realise it is the equinox, the balance of night and dark, day and night, light and shadow. In many ways, I feel I have been journeying into the realms of the night, not sure if or where I might find ground.
Now I understand, ground is everywhere around me – it is in my connections to this place, my family and community and indeed the ancestors.
As we make the next steps to Treecreate Studio becoming a fully fledged nomadic, multi-site learning and sharing entity, we will be letting go of the physical studio after 3 years. This has been a transition for the physicality of my practice but also a blessing. Moving from a large space to being more agile as a maker aligns very much with how the planets are aligning ❤
These days, I have my Dad’s shed to work in (photo’s to come), thanks Mum <3. I miss you every day Dad, you continue to inspire and guide my life’s journey. More on that later as well.
Also thanks to my darling husband Martin’s ingenuity, I have a roving workstation on wheels, made from a freecycle table that was being consumed by the garden and some ply given to me from the newsagent next door to our studio.
Odin is very happy to have me at home so he can supervise my work 🙂
And lastly – some handy hints: 10 Actions for the planet
Love youse xx
Tracey M Benson || Bytetime 