Their Eyes Are Watching You is a collaborative site-specific research project between Pounamu Rurawhe and Whiro Walker, examining the relationships between te whenua ō Pukekawa (the area around Parnell station), tāngata (people), and the waste the public produce and leave behind.
The triptych identifies three tipua (underworld beings) of pollution: rapihi (rubbish), parakino (pollutant) and paruheti wai (dirty water). Rurawhe and Walker use rubbish and waste found within te whenua ō Pukekawa to create sculptural body adornments, photographing themselves as these imagined tipua.
Being tangata whenua who do not whakapapa to Tāmaki Makaurau (or the residing iwi/hapū of Ngāti Whātua Orakei), the artists are curious about the whenua that they occupy and what their responsibility to it is. Their Eyes Are Watching You asks viewers to consider deeply the environment and ecosystems that we inhabit and exist within. Who are we in relation to the waste we create and leave behind? And where do we go from here?
About the artists
Pounamu Rurawhe and Whiro Walker are two takatāpui toa whose work centres on three main elements: the natural environment, Indigenous queerness, and honouring te ao Māori. Their practices span craft-making, sculptural works, activations and live performances.