Inhabit,
Iteration 3
Ormiston Town Center, Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland, 2024
The third iteration of Inhabit was open from 8th - 30th of June, 2024, at the Ormiston Town Center in East Auckland. This project was funded by Arts Out East, supported by Te Tuhi and the Howick Local Board, as well as Auckland City Council Creative Communities Scheme.
On Saturday, 8th June, 2024, Inhabit; Iteration 3 opened with an installation of sewn banners that give a public voice to the intimate stories woven throughout this project. Made from the ‘iconic’ NZ cotton redline flat nappies, the ‘banners’ have been coloured with natural dyes from my kitchen. They’re hand and machine-stitched with participants messages in cut-out felt text, generated from the conversations held during Iterations I (2022) and 2 (2023) of Inhabit. Words and statements were added to an ever-growing wall of post-it notes that formed the heart of the conversation we now continue in stitch. Individual post-it notes are made into a banner and collectively installed to create an immersive space; an ever-evolving process-driven project that responds directly to the Inhabit participants and co-creators.
Through Inhabit, I’m exploring the artist’s critical role as a creative facilitator in bringing together participants in social change projects that empower and lead to lasting change in care. Facilitating social relations and treating wellbeing with the same value as an art object, I’m 'making through motherhood' as a way to contribute to the ever-present and meaningful conversations that surround negotiating space for self in the home, artists in the community, and artist-mother life.
Housed in an empty shop, next to ASB, this installation was viewable to the public during center open hours and open to the community, for free workshops, from 10:30-2pm, on Saturday, 8th, 15th, 22nd, and Tuesday 25th of June.
The following community members were co-creators, participants and caregivers
Vanessa Werner; Doula and Breathwork Facilitator www.vanessawernerbirthcare.com
The Tīpuna Project, co-lead by Teah Carlson (Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Ngāti Porou, Waikato-Tainui) and Rachel Liebert (Ngāti Pākehā) www.loveisyou.org
Dr. Samantha Quézet at Ormiston Family Chiropractic is a highly esteemed chiropractor recognized for her profound expertise and dedication to holistic health. Her extensive qualifications and compassionate approach have made her a trusted source of knowledge and support for mums seeking comprehensive pre- and postnatal training solutions, as well as for those in need of pediatric chiropractic care.
Workshops and Programing
You are welcome to drop in for a cup of tea and experience the installation during open hours, or join one of the workshops.
Everyone that visits the installation will be invited to contribute to the project by adding a thought or feeling to the post-it wall as a response to your experience, or as a message to a past, future or current postpartum self, friend or whānau member.
Workshops included;
Making Through M/Otherhood: Rosette workshop with Holli McEntegart.
Ancestral Storytelling Through Motherhood: Facilitated by Rachel Liebert and Holli McEntegart (A colab with The Tīpuna Project: a participatory action research project to creatively experiment with the decolonial possibilities of ancestral mahi - from healing for Māori to accountability for Pākehā.)
Postpartum Health and Wellness Workshop with Vanessa Werner
Postpartum Rehabilitation Sessions with complimentary consults for mums and babies from Ormiston Family Chiropractic
