Nineteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society

Abstract

Activating the networked systems of our collective imaginary within and without, what do we see? Over generations our ancestors looked to the family of light, the celestial realm as a compass. The realm of Ranginui Skyfather, the birth place of knowledge and life, they read the signs, the codes, the data, of the natural world. A cyclical way of being with respect and care for Papatuanuku (Earthmother) the living embodiment of the neural networks of past, present and future generations. By synchronising the realm of ancestor, dreams and digital we have prompted the reimagining of our collective memory. Recollection, memory patternings and rhythms now held within the digital realm of light. How do we protect this light deep within the vast global multiverse of the networked system? Across liminal space, between the veils of now and then. Our ancestors whisper ‘child beware’ the Hau and the Utu, the gift and the payback. Where is the balance and the reciprocity? The physical components of the digital realm are birthed from mines. Just as Tane Māhuta (God of the Forest) birthed Hineahuone the first human, first woman. They dig and scrape at her crevices, stripping the Mauri from the land. Taniwha (monsters) spoken as symbolic allegory are encoded within the land and water, as stories of the night, imprinted warning systems. Taniwha who steal lives are places to avoid. The death of the imagination, we scroll through life, the taniwha named Algorithm ensures we no longer dream.