CIRCUIT CAST

• Episode 121: Nat Tozer

  "There is a vitality that is held in the earth." Artist Nat Tozer and CIRCUIT director Mark Williams talk archaeology, deep time and kaitiakitanga on the occasion of the Aotearoa premiere of Erotic Geologies, Tozer's most complex work to date. Nat Tozer’s Erotic Geologies (2024) is an ambitious new video project described as "a sci-fi parable that seeks knowledge from the underground." Shifting through an otherworldly landscape where rocky outcrops meet tumultuous skies, the setting of the film makes reference to post-earthquake Ōtautahi in Te Waipounamu and the Tongariro Crossing in Te Ika-a-Māui. The narrative follows protagonists Rangi and Liberté, characters inspired by both Māori mythologies surrounding the figures of Ranginui and Papatūānuku’s children, and Greek figures Deucalion and Pyrrha. Archaeology, time and kaitiakitanga are central to the work, which merges a local, contemporary narrative with deep time and mythology. While several of Tozer's earlier video works were one-person productions shot on her iPhone, Erotic Geologies marks a profound shift in production methodologies, and incorporates actors, technical collaborators, and apocalyptic animated landscapes. In this kōrero, Tozer discusses her expansive practice, reflecting on "the slippery mess of our built environment."

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• Episode 120: Hihi Aho with Tia Barrett

  "I see the environment as a creative partner." — Tia Barrett Hihi Aho is a three-part podcast series hosted by Emma Hislop (Kāi Tahu). Hihi Aho (ray of light) unfolds from Rematriation, a screening programme of six moving image works which explore the legacy of wāhine Māori knowledge and its resonance in the present day. In this kōrero, Emma talks to artist Tia Barrett (Waitaha, Ngāti Māmoe, Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Tamainupō, Ngāti Maniapoto). Emma and Tia discuss Tia's film 'He Pounamu Ko Aū' (2022). Tia explains how her practice has journeyed from a process of "healing myself … to (giving) back to the whenua."

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• Episode 119: Hihi Aho with Sandy Wakefield

  "Whanaungatanga is this gift we have as Māori to connect and to relate" Hihi Aho is a three-part podcast series hosted by Emma Hislop (Kāi Tahu). Hihi Aho (ray of light) unfolds from Rematriation, a screening programme of six moving image works which explore the legacy of wāhine Māori knowledge and its resonance in the present day. In this kōrero, Emma talks to artist Sandy Wakefield (Ngapuhi, Ngāi Tahu). Emma and Sandy discuss the making of Sandy's film 'Nakunaku' (2020), a "wairua journey" to Rakiura supported by local iwi wāhine, which is included in Rematriation. Sandy also discusses her earlier works, which appropriated Disney and b-movie footage to tell Māori stories.

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• Episode 118: Hihi Aho with Tanya Ruka

  Hihi Aho is a three-part podcast series hosted by Emma Hislop (Kāi Tahu). Hihi Aho (ray of light) unfolds from Rematriation, a new screening programme of five moving image works which explore the legacy of wāhine Māori knowledge and its resonance in the present day. In this conversation, Emma talks to Rematriation's curator Tanya Te Miringa Te Rorarangi Ruka (Ngā Puhi, Ngati Pakau and Waitaha). Tanya is CIRCUIT's inaugural Kaitiaki Kiriata, a new role that supports a Māori curator to develop moving image projects which speak through the lens of Te Ao Māori. Emma and Tanya discuss the works in Rematriation, concepts of time, the impact of growing up outside of their ancestral whenua, and Tanya's own video practice. For details on Rematriation's screening venues, see www.circuit.org.nz/rematriation For distribution/hire enquiries, please write to: [email protected]

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• Episode 117: Wild Wild Life

  How is Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland City described outside of official city maps? Is it possible to navigate off-road, off-grid? What discrete spaces exist in the plain sight of everyday work, life and commerce? How are these activated by people, flora and fauna? In front of a live audience, artists Layne Waerea, Leala Faleseuga, Gavin Hipkins, Jae Hoon Lee, Gabriel White, and Tia Barrett discuss their video works for Wild Wild Life, a public art project commissioned by Auckland Council, curated by Mark Williams for CIRCUIT, and presented as part of the 2024 Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival. Installed at a series of site-specific locations across the inner city, the artists’ works were presented in proximity to the construction of the City Rail Network, a massive engineering project that has temporarily remapped downtown Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland as a construction site, and, when completed, will fundamentally alter its psycho-geography.

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