Kauae Raro Research collective. Image courtesy of Sarah Hudson.
KAUAE RARO
Kauae Raro research collective was established in 2019 by Sarah Hudson (Ngāti Awa, Tūhoe), Lanae Cable (Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa) and Jordan Davey-Emms (Ngāti Pākehā). We came together with backgrounds in visual arts, pottery, research and customary Māori medicine, driven by a strong sense of mana motuhake/self-determination to re-learn and recreate the art materials and techniques of our ancestors.
We are passionate about developing our knowledge and spreading awareness about sustainable art practices. We believe that our journey to connect with the whenua/land will, in turn, give us a deeper connection to ngā Atua Māori/indigenous spirituality and our taha Māori/culture.
Our research consists of spending a lot of time on the whenua. Walking through, moving slowly and consciously, noting and noticing the variations of colour offered by Papatūānuku/Earth Mother. If applicable, natural resources are hand-gathered with respect and gratitude, to process into a workable art material. We work in very small batches, with no waste – it is our intention to only take what we need from the whenua and use it very intentionally.
We acknowledge our pursuits are made possible through the fruits of Papatūānuku, Hinetūparimaunga, Hineukurangi and Parawhenuamea.
In September 2020 Sarah Hudson published a book, Mana Whenua, which documents an art and knowledge exchange between 12 contemporary Māori artists using earth pigments. Please see the link for more information https://kauae-raro.myshopify.com/
Image courtesy of Sarah Hudson.
‘Mana Whenua’ by Sarah Hudson. Image courtesy of Sarah Hudson.
Image courtesy of Sarah Hudson.
Image courtesy of Sarah Hudson.