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Tia Barrett, Te āhua o te wai | The em[Body]ment of Water, 2024
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TitleTia Barrett, Te āhua o te wai | The em[Body]ment of Water, 2024
DescriptionTia Barrett (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Mamoe, Te Rapuwai, Waitaha, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Tamainupō)
Te āhua o te wai | The em[Body]ment of Water, 2024
Digital video (6 mins) and mōteatea
Courtesy of the artist
“I want to invite viewers to contemplate our relationship with ngā whenua me ngā wai and the responsibilities inherent in its protection.” - Tia Barrett
Te āhua o te wai | The em[Body]ment of Water is a moving image artwork paired with a mōteatea created and composed by artist Tia Barrett whose whakapapa connects her to Te Roto o Wairewa Lake Forsyth. Barrett filmed at both Wairewa Lake Forsyth and Te Waihora Lake Ellesmere with permission from mana whenua. The em[Body]ment of Water begins with soft waves gently rolling over submarine footage, framed by river stones, shifting to locations of significance and connection points.
The intention for The em[Body]ment of Water is to reflect the hope of healing and protection for this body of water. Barrett focuses on the increasing strength of mauri and health of the lake while also acknowledging the impact of environmental damage that results from colonisation and climate change. The artwork provides a visual reminder of the achievements of aspirational restoration projects that are improving the health of the lake.
Barrett describes the mōteatea, Te āhua o te wai, as ‘he karakia, he karanga, he waiata aroha’ which translates to a incantation/prayer, a call, a song of love. It speaks to positivity and hope and invisons abundance for future generations. Every time this mōteatea is heard or preformed it will envoke a healing process that will narrate wellbeing back into these lands and waterways.
Glossary for Māori Terms
Mōteatea – traditional chant, lament
Ngā whenua me ngā wai - the land and the water
Whakapapa – geneology
Mauri – life force
Kā roto – the lake, the wetlands
Manu whenua - Māori who have ancestral claims and territorial rights over a particular area
The artist would like to acknowledge her Ngāti Irakehu o Wairewa whānui, and Ngāi Te Ruahikihiki o Taumutu, mana whenua for Waikirikiri Selwyn.
With thanks to Puamiria Parata-Goodall, Matiu Prebble and his tauira at Canterbury University, Paemanu - Ngai Tahu Contemporary Visual Arts, Caitlin Rose Donnelly, the artist’s whānau Nadia Maddock, Richard Hinks and their children Macey, Ollie and Hattie, the artist’s mother Dr Alvina Jean Edwards, the artist’s brother Tui Tuwairua Barrett and his daughter Ngākauri-Kaihou Ropata Barrett, Zena Elliott and the Ereatara Whānau.DateJune 2024SourceSelwyn District CouncilPhotographerJohn Collie
DescriptionTia Barrett (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Mamoe, Te Rapuwai, Waitaha, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Tamainupō) Te āhua o te wai | The em[Body]ment of Water, 2024
Digital video (6 mins) and mōteatea
Courtesy of the artist
“I want to invite viewers to contemplate our relationship with ngā whenua me ngā wai and the responsibilities inherent in its protection.” - Tia Barrett
Te āhua o te wai | The em[Body]ment of Water is a moving image artwork paired with a mōteatea created and composed by artist Tia Barrett whose whakapapa connects her to Te Roto o Wairewa Lake Forsyth. Barrett filmed at both Wairewa Lake Forsyth and Te Waihora Lake Ellesmere with permission from mana whenua. The em[Body]ment of Water begins with soft waves gently rolling over submarine footage, framed by river stones, shifting to locations of significance and connection points.
The intention for The em[Body]ment of Water is to reflect the hope of healing and protection for this body of water. Barrett focuses on the increasing strength of mauri and health of the lake while also acknowledging the impact of environmental damage that results from colonisation and climate change. The artwork provides a visual reminder of the achievements of aspirational restoration projects that are improving the health of the lake.
Barrett describes the mōteatea, Te āhua o te wai, as ‘he karakia, he karanga, he waiata aroha’ which translates to a incantation/prayer, a call, a song of love. It speaks to positivity and hope and invisons abundance for future generations. Every time this mōteatea is heard or preformed it will envoke a healing process that will narrate wellbeing back into these lands and waterways.
Glossary for Māori Terms
Mōteatea – traditional chant, lament
Ngā whenua me ngā wai - the land and the water
Whakapapa – geneology
Mauri – life force
Kā roto – the lake, the wetlands
Manu whenua - Māori who have ancestral claims and territorial rights over a particular area
The artist would like to acknowledge her Ngāti Irakehu o Wairewa whānui, and Ngāi Te Ruahikihiki o Taumutu, mana whenua for Waikirikiri Selwyn.
With thanks to Puamiria Parata-Goodall, Matiu Prebble and his tauira at Canterbury University, Paemanu - Ngai Tahu Contemporary Visual Arts, Caitlin Rose Donnelly, the artist’s whānau Nadia Maddock, Richard Hinks and their children Macey, Ollie and Hattie, the artist’s mother Dr Alvina Jean Edwards, the artist’s brother Tui Tuwairua Barrett and his daughter Ngākauri-Kaihou Ropata Barrett, Zena Elliott and the Ereatara Whānau.
DateJune 2024SourceSelwyn District CouncilPhotographerJohn CollieConnections
Subject (Keywords)ArtNgāi TahuCollectionArt at Te Ara ĀteaTe Ara Ātea Exhibition 2024: Undercurrents
Ngāi TahuCollectionArt at Te Ara ĀteaTe Ara Ātea Exhibition 2024: UndercurrentsAttribution
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Tia Barrett, Te āhua o te wai | The em[Body]ment of Water, 2024 (June 2024). Selwyn Stories, accessed 10/11/2025, https://selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz/nodes/view/6726
