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The goal of my work is to encourage people to think
about and appreciate the unique setting and
distinctive environment of Otago Harbour (Te awa
Ōtākou) and the Otago Peninsula from the broad
landscapes to the smallest sea life. Through
the summer I have continued to build on this theme
primarily through the medium of photography. The beauty and bounty of Otago Harbour and the Peninsula are a major reason that inspired me to come to Dunedin. While the weather is very variable, there are times, in the early morning light or when the sky is flocked with puffy white clouds, that the varied greens of the hills, and the greys, blues and greens of the water in the harbor have magical effect. The Harbour and the Peninsula have inspired many artists, including watercolour artists in the 19th century. Colin McCahon's painting "Otago Peninsula" (1946-49), is perhaps the most well known work; now at the Dunedin Public Library, it captures some of the colour and forms of the landscape. In ceramics, Neil Grant's mural "Otago Peninsula" (1984) at the entrance to Dunedin Hospital presents a central landscape scene bracketed by two panels detailing wildlife and a bit of the city. Many local artists occasionally turn to the Harbour and the Peninsula for inspiration in their works. When considering any landscape there are a host of factors that come into play including the geology, ecology, history and culture, and commerce of the area. The Peninsula and Harbour was created by eruption of a now extinct volcano 16 million years ago. Around 1300, the Māori arrived and found plenty of kai in the area, including fish and shellfish. In the 19th century, whalers and European settlers made their way here and eventually displaced Ngāi Tahu. The question of Māori rights continues to be debated to this day. Meanwhile, the health of the Harbour faces challenges including climate change, ocean acidification, sedimentation, and the effects of large cruise ships. Decisions and actions by the Dunedin City Council, the Otago Regional Council and the national government—and by ordinary citizens in their day to day lives—impact the Harbour. It is important to understand and acknowledge these many different factors, but the focus of my proposal is to convey the beauty and wonder of the landscapes and marine environment. In term one, I led with ceramics, producing representations of several life forms—Neptune's necklace and a seaweed holdfast, sea anemones, oysters, and a blue cod—as well as a representation of a gravel road out on the Peninsula. Mostly I attempted realistic portrayals, which were sometimes sidetracked by glazing issues. I tried textiles as a special project, starting with almost no knowledge of techniques; my goal was to produce interpretations of the Harbour landscapes in several wall hangings or tapestries, as well as of marine life. However, I found it somewhat stifling and difficult to progress when compared to the full scale engagement of ceramics or the experiences afforded by photography. I have comfort with photography, and fortunately was able to build on that in my first term. I continued shooting around town and managed a handful of trips to the Peninsula. I printed and framed several photographs with help from Harry Simpergham and Steev Peyroux. Over the summer I was able to learn basic photomicroscopy and gain knowledge of the world of zooplankton and of some of the research going on at the NSMSC, where Sally Carson and many others were very helpful. I also gained invaluable perspective from the middle of the Harbour, staying at and visiting Quarantine Island/Kamau Taurua, and learning about tides, sealife of the rocky shore, history, and shipping. In the second term the assignment is to produce a body of work for an exhibit. I plan continue learning about, visiting, experiencing and developing themes around the Harbour and Peninsula from the very small to the very big, from plankton to people and from the sea to the sky. Research can include reaching out to people and organizations in and around the Harbour to learn their perspectives, including Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou, Otago Regional Council, Port Otago, the seafood industry (Port Chalmers Fishing Cooperative, Harbour Fish, Southern Clams) and others. I have built up a large stock of photos and am continuing to add new ones in the major themes below. These will be pared down to a manageable number and printed to complement ceramic works. In the first term, in ceramics, I produced representations of sea anemones, Neptune's Necklace, a seaweed holdfast, a blue cod, and a gravel road. Each of them could have been better, and I'd like to try some of them again. To take just one example, I was very dissatisfied with the seaweed holdfast. The speckles from the clay showed through the glaze, and the colour was Dijon mustard yellow not yellowish greenish brown. The first step is test tiles. There are also many additional topics such as plankton, other animals, and ships which can form the basis of entirely new works. There are also forms and textures I've seen around the Peninsula that I'd like to emulate and incorporate in works, for example the foam at the edge of an incoming wave as it come up on shore or puffy white clouds in a blue sky or interesting rocks at Tomahawk Beach. Eventually it should be possible to develop a photo book, and I would also like to see if I can extend into printmaking using some of my photos as a starting point. Bibliography Otago Harbour and Peninsula: Landscape and History Potiki, Megan. "The Otago Peninsula, A Unique Identity." Shima: The International Journal of Research into Island Cultures. 10, no. 1 (2016). Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou: otakourunaka.co.nz and Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu: ngaitahu.iwi.nz "Toitū te whenua - Māori Place Names Series." Otago Daily Times, May 22, 2024. Quarantine Island | Kamau Taurua Community Incorporated: quarantineisland.org.nz. Morphum Environmental. "Te Awa Ōtākou (Otago Harbour) Issues and Opportunities." report prepared for Otago Regional Council, February 2025. Otago Regional Council: www.orc.govt.nz/environment/ Port Otago: www.portotago.co.nz McConnell, Glenn. "Minister confirms seabed and foreshore change, limiting Māori rights." stuff, August 5, 2025. Earth Sciences New Zealand: earthsciences.nz Conference: "Mapping the Anthropocene in Ötepoti/Dunedin: Climate change, community and research in the creative arts." Dunedin School of Art and Te Maru Pümanawa, September 26-27, 2025. Hodgkinson, Kathryn, Thomas, Richard, and Jaquiery, Stephen. OTAGO PENINSULA: Path to the Sea. Raupo Publishing (NZ) Ltd., 2007. Sorrell, Paul and Warman, Graham. PENINSULA: Exploring the Otago Peninsula. Penguin Group (NZ), 2013. McLean, Gavin. OTAGO HARBOUR: Currents of Controversy. Otago Harbour Board, 1985. McLintock, A.H. THE PORT OF OTAGO. Whitcombe & Tombs, 1951. Tod, Frank. WHALING IN SOUTHERN WATERS, self-published, 1982. Otago Peninsula Trust: otagopeninsulatrust.co.nz [seems quiescent] Otago Harbour and Peninsula: Ecology iNaturalist NZ Guides: inaturalist.nz/guides Probert, Keith, Jillett, John and Carson, Sally. SOUTHERN SEAS: Discovering Marine Life at 46° South. University of Otago Press, 2005. "Sandy & Muddy Shore Guide." NZ Marine Studies Centre, Department of Marine Science, University of Otago, 2023. Boyd Fisheries Consultants Ltd. "Fisheries resources in Otago Harbour and on the adjacent coast." report prepared for Port Otago Ltd., December 2008. Aquatic Environmental Sciences Ltd. "Information on key species of interest to Ngai Tahu — Supplementary paper for Next Generation Project." report prepared for Port Otago Ltd., May 2010. Art & Artists Exhibition: "Infinite Place: The Ceramic Art of Wayne Higby." Renwick Gallery, October 3-December 8, 2013. Exhibition: "A Land of Granite: McCahon and Otago." Dunedin Public Art Gallery, March 7-October 18, 2020. Kettle, Alice. "Australian Landscapes I-IV." National Library of Australia, 2001. "Sea Creatures Clayart." Ceramics and Pottery Arts and Resources, May 20, 2014. Moyle, Peter B. "Introduction to fish imagery in art." Environmental Biology of Fishes. 31(1):5-23 (May 1991). Howard, Maureen. "Light on the water." Otago Daily Times, July 1, 2019. Taylor, Lynn. "Coccolithophores Impressed: Ōku Moana and The Sandpit Collective." lynn-taylor.blogspot.com, July 14, 2018. Barrar, Wayne. "The Glass Archive." waynebarrar.com Craft Organizations Dunedin Photographic Society: dps.org.nz Otago Potters Group: www.facebook.com/Otagopottersgroup/ Stuart Street Potters Co-operative: www.facebook.com/PottersCoopDunedin/ Creative Fibre: creativefibre.org.nz Quilters and Patchworkers of Otago (Inc.): otagoquilters.org.nz Otago Embroiderers' Guild Inc.: www.oeg.org.nz Costume and Textiles Aotearoa New Zealand (CTANZ): costumeand textile.nz note: I particularly appreciate suggestions and insights shared by Pam McKinlay in a conversation on 7 August 2025. |
| August
2025 Version | Ideas
for Ceramics Body of Work
| Textiles
Special Topic PDF | earlier
harakeke proposal |
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Appleman All rights reserved.