Artist statement:
‘South’ is from the 102 image series and photo-book Someone’s mana.
The definition of mana throughout the cultures and countries that use the word is quite varied. Its history is defined in Polynesian culture as a supernatural force or power that can be concentrated in objects or people. I know it from my upbringing in New Zealand as a beautiful word used in Māori culture to define someone’s honour or integrity.
In truth it has darkness as well. To lose mana is a sad event and regaining it is a long road. The notion of mana represented in a ‘place’ is proposed in the image ‘South’. Our pride in ‘who we are’ can be as much about ‘where we are’.
Also known as Giclee prints or bubble-jet prints, pigment ink-jet prints are generated by computer printers from digital or scanned files using dye-based or pigment-based inks. A series of nozzles spray tiny droplets of ink onto the paper surface in a precise pattern that corresponds to the digital image file. In dye-based prints the ink soaks into the paper, whereas in pigment-based prints the ink rests and dries on top of the paper surface.
Whilst the term is broad, pigment ink-jet prints have come to be associated with prints produced on fine art papers. They are the most versatile and archival method of printing available to photographers today. A wide variety of material on which an image can be printed with such inks are available, including various textures and finishes such as matte photo paper, watercolour paper, cotton canvas or pre-coated canvas.
