Our Place. Our Climate. Our World:
Through the Eye of the Lens – Whakatū
Sixteen young Whakatū students from Nelson Intermediate School explored climate change through the lens of a camera. They workshopped climate issues with Earth Systems Scientists Dr Jamey Stutz and Claudia Moore, then learned the tools from award winning Photographers: Auckland-based Raymond Sagapolutele and Nelson-local Tatsiana Chypsanava.
THROUGH THE EYE OF THE LENS – WHAKATŪ
21 – 31 October 2021
IN COLLABORATION WITH:
Exhibition
Be inspired by the photographs taken and curated by the young artists and photographers, expressing their views about climate change.
Exploring climate science
The young artists and their families took part in an interactive workshop called, ‘Ice, Balloons and Zero Carbon: Climate Science Talk’ led by expert Earth Systems Scientists Dr Jamey Stutz and Claudia Moore
Afterwards they met artists Raymond Sagapolutele and Tatsiana Chypsanava and learned about photography to express their views about climate change from their unique points of view.
Climate Science Facts
Photographic Workshop
Good storytelling can change minds. The power of a photograph lies not in the way that it represents reality, but in the way it engages our imagination and involves us in the story that unfolds in the image. Award winning photographers, Auckland-based Raymond Sagapolutele and Tatsiana Chypsanava, shared their creative expertise and taught the young Whakatū students how to use their cameras to become their own storytellers.
Raymond Sagapolutele
Award winning Aotearoa-born Sāmoan artist, Raymond Sagapolutele says the camera has become a vital part of his ability to reconnect with cultural ties to Pacific history, the land and ocean. Speaking through images gives his visual language a voice – the method that forms his oratory and connects to the Samoan tradition of Fagogo (storytelling).
Tatsiana Chypsanava
Documentary photographer Tatsiana Chypsanava is a multiple year winner and a finalist in the NZ Geographic Photographer of the Year competition and member of Women Photograph, Up Next Diversify Photo and Toru Collective. Her work is shown internationally. Her work for the global COVID-19 Anxiety Project was exhibited at the Auckland Photography Festival 2021.
Festival Exhibition
Photos taken by the young students and photographers were displayed in a print and digital exhibition mounted in the windows of Nelson Provincial Museum, facing outwards to the viewing public.
Nelson Arts Festival 2021 launched the exhibition at a lively opening ceremony with speakers, a performance by the School’s Kapa Haka group and the inspiring students who took part in the project. Visited by hundreds of Festival-goers, students and the general public, the exhibition runs during the Festival 21 – 31 October 2021.
Aligning with its policy of caring for the environment, the Museum actively sourced eco-friendly material for the exhibition – enviro-board made of recycled plastic for the substrate; PVC-free recyclable for printing material; water-based latex printing ink – sourced from the only Carbon Positive signwriters in the top of the South Island. Also, recycling wastage material to make fence posts through “Future Posts”.
We are grateful to the Nelson Arts Festival for their ongoing commitment to the project as COVID-19 forced events to be cancelled from this year’s exciting festival programme.
