Artist statement: Te whare pora is a series of individual portraits of First Nation and indigenous women with whom I have woven and shared some of my knowledge of raranga (or Māori weaving). As an indigenous woman photographer (I am Māori; Waikato, Tainui, Ngaati Tahinga), photographing other indigenous women it is fundamental that the photographer and the subject are part of a true collaboration. Teaching a weave or pattern in Māori and many Pacific cultures is viewed as a gift to the learner. It was in this spirit, of sharing, collaboration and exchange that the women agreed to participate in the project. Each portrait is hand-woven in a culturally appropriate pattern of the sitters own choosing. Joely, is a Blackfoot woman (or Siksikaitsitapi, meaning ‘Blackfoot-speaking real people’) who I met while on indigenous artist exchange residency at the Gushul studio, Alberta in 2015.
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.
