Indigi-[IA] Techno-ecologies: Non-Human, Wāhine, and Takatāpui Whakairo Futurism

Abstract

This creative practice research explores the potential of whakairo ecologies to creatively explore the intersections of multi-fluid identities through creative practice. The artistic research aims to reclaim, reimagine, and re-story whakairo ecologies interconnected through whakapapa (strata, multi-dimensional layering, unfixed, fluid ecologies, genealogies). It investigates the intricate relationships between takatāpui wāhine whakairo and the natural environment, with a particular emphasis on the impacts of colonisation and the reclamation of our understanding of whakairo ecologies. Utilising a Kaupapa Haukura approach – inspired by my solo exhibition Haukura/Neon Voice (Waikato Museum, 2016) – the artistic research foregrounds neo-pūrākau methodology to explore the complex intersections of ngā taiao whakairo ecosystems, gender, mana wāhine, mana atua, mana takatāpui, Indigenous technology, and Māori Futurisms. Despite historical suppression and colonial power imbalances, the significant contributions of atua wāhine (cosmological entities) as kaiwhao are highlighted in relational ecosystems. Through a practice-led approach, whakairo is centralised as a creative practice research inquiry site, introducing a body of experimental artefacts offering an alternative perspective on the creative process of whakairo within the natural environment. This creative practice research reinforces the importance of advancing the field of whakairo, and ensuring the visibility and participation of takatāpui wāhine whakairo within the domain. It makes academic contributions through literature and artworks, while empowering the discourse on Indigenous ecological knowledge and contemporary whakairo by highlighting the resilience of takatāpui wāhine whakairo. The creative practice emphasises integrating traditional practices with modern technological advancements, expressed through creative conceptual frameworks in the form of whakairo that can generate new insights, transformation, and aspirational futures for takatāpui and wāhine whakairo.