THE TIGHT FIVE – Kereama Taepa
Throughout history, art has both influenced and been influenced by technology. In fact, the relentless push to achieve something new that drives both art and science makes them natural collaborators. Kereama Taepa is an innovator, an artist employing digital technologies to create works and experiences that shift between digital, physical, virtual, and augmented realities. His practice is fuelled by popular culture and explores the infinite possibilities of technologies and how they may be employed to transmit mātauranga Māori.
1 - When did it click?
Um... I’m not sure if it has... has it? I don’t know... I think it’s still in pieces somewhere... I think I’m still looking for the pieces to put something together.
2 - Your work engages with both tradition and innovation within Te Ao Māori, what keeps you exploring this territory?
I just love finding out how things work and exploring the new... especially when it comes to art making... new technologies enable us to explore our work and ideas in new ways - of which can lead to the “newer”. My favourite part of the Moana movie is when Moana has that light bulb moment and says, “We were voyagers!” I think as Māori, we need to keep voyaging and exploring too - just like our ancestors did.
3 - What attracts you to technology and how does it appear in your work?
I love the challenge of making/creating things in the most efficient way possible - I’m largely process driven. I think it is technology and creativity together that can be major drivers within society... I’m really interested in those defining moments in history when something fundamentally changes within culture. My work is sometimes driven by the tech itself - it’s quite meta in that way. I’m mostly known for 3D printed and sculptural work but have also created works in AR, VR, projections and even the Web.
4 - I see Apple computers and Pac-Man have made an appearance in recent works...
Pop culture is my culture – it’s what I continue to be exposed to and live – so it’s only fitting that it appears in my work. However, I constantly think about what I lived that my children have no idea about. We are all glued to our screens but my children have never really experienced in a big way our major TV channels - I remember when TV3 was launched! My kids know Netflix, Neon, and Youtube and have never had to endure the agonising wait between episodes to find out what happened! I also spent a lot of time in arcades growing up – it had its own culture... its own set of values and rules... yet my kids game with people on the other side of the world without even leaving the house!
5 - What’s your biggest barrier to being an artist?
I wish there was a cloning machine so that I could have 5 of me to do the things I want to do... Māui didn’t do a good enough job of slowing down Tama-nui-te-rā!
