Pacific Artists Tour to Highlight Need for Ocean Conservation

Following the ‘Year of the Whale,’ locals from Oceania and New Caledonia call for the protection of the Coral Sea Natural Park

Article By: Christophe Chevillon & Aline Schaffar
Projects: Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy & New Caledonia
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Pacific Artists Tour to Highlight Need for Ocean Conservation

Throughout human history, people have used art to elevate our passions and inspirations. Across the Pacific there is perhaps no greater form of inspiration than the ocean, which has both connected and provided for these island and coastal communities for centuries. To honor that, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the Tjibaou Cultural Centre, and the Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Project partnered to showcase the work of artists from New Caledonia and Oceania.

The Tù project – short for "Tù des baleines et des hommes pour la protection des océans" (whales and men to protect the ocean) – followed a year-long display at the Tjibaou centre in Nouméa, New Caledonia, with a nationwide tour that included stops in the Koné, Voh, and Deva regions in early 2018; overall, the tour drew over 11,000 visitors, including members of the government, scientists, representatives of customary areas, and community leaders. The project was inspired by SPREP's naming 2017 the "Pacific Year of the Whale" and by a need to raise awareness for better ocean protection in New Caledonia. The art emphasized the need for a large marine reserve within New Caledonia's Coral Sea Natural Park.

The 11 artists featured—who came from New Caledonia, Aotearoa-New Zealand, Niue, and Tonga—sought to share the story of humpback whales that migrate annually from their Antarctic feeding grounds to New Caledonia's warm waters to breed and calve their young. For communities on islands such as Ouen, which is south of New Caledonia's main island, the whales' return is welcome and signifies for the tribe the time to plant yams, a traditional tuber that is the centerpiece of the traditional Kanak culture.

Combining this artistic and cultural heritage—which are important parts of New Caledonian communities, especially among the Kanak people—pays tribute to the country and greater Pacific region and its oceanic legacy. Here are some of the pieces in the Tù project.

Whale Skull Cube

George Nuku creates art with plexiglass,  plastics bottles, bone, or polysterene. These pieces are titled, “Ruawharo #1 & 2” and “Whale Skull Cube.”  

Rendez-vous

Christelle Montané worked on barkcloth to create “Terre d’accueil” and on marine charts to paint the triptych “Rendez-vous.

Géante2

Arnaud Elissalde used whale photos to create a backlit cube, “Géante2,” illuminated to a rhythm composed by another artist, Sacha Terrat. The song “Journey” was made from recording the sounds and songs of whales off the coast of Ouen Island. Elissalde also used images of the other artists at work, for the piece “Portraits.”

Eau centre de l’océan

Ito Waïa, a wood sculptor, photographer, and poet, printed five photos onto large canvas overlaid with digital graphics. This work is titled “Eau centre de l’océan.”

2%

Nicolas Mole created “Wela me koko,” a plant sculpture in the shape of the whale, with a yam growing out of its blowhole. Two other installations complete his work: “Surface,” which highlights the problem of plastic pollution in our oceans, and “2%”  (the fish in its bowl), which shows how little of the ocean is safeguarded under highly marine protected areas. 

Tafolaa

Kapoa Tiaou, a woodworker, carved this whale tail sculpture from a log and named it “Tafolaa,”which means whale in the language spoken on Ouvéa Island in New Caledonia. 

Wuce awé! Wuce aro! Véâ mà gï và urè! 

Marie-Ange Kapetha, a member of the Ouara tribe, wove this 6 meter long whale out of local natural fibers. She named it “Wuce awé! Wuce aro! Véâ mà gï và urè!,” which means, “Wake up! Wake up! Come, let’s go crush the clods of earth!” in the nââ kwényï language of the Drubea-Kapumë area of New Caledonia.

Gods, Whales, Tanoa and Lei

John Pule, a poet and painter, created two large canvases from Polynesian mythology and personal narratives. His poem is titled “I kneel, cup my hands to drink the sea,” and his paintings are “I will carry everything” and “Gods, Whales, Tanoa and Lei.” (Tanoa are wooden bowls tied to the culture of western Polynesia and the Fiji Islands.)

Réconciliation

Seiuli Tiaou, a sculptor, created these pieces, titled “Réconciliation,” from niaouli wood.

To learn more about the Tù project, visit Catalogue de l'exposition à telecharger (anglais).

Christophe Chevillon is a senior manager and Aline Schaffar is an officer with the Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Project in New Caledonia.