Week 3 - Dion Hitchens

Select at least 2 of the following terms & discuss in relation to Hitchens' practice:
- Interaction
- Collaboration
- Site
- Cultural/History
- Technology

Hitchens is interested in Art as a continuum, and the participating in the process of drawing on previous art movements to create contemporary pieces, which will in turn be drawn on by future artists. A particular movement of importance to Hitchens in the post-modernist movement, as this was the first time art was not dominated by white, middle class males, and themes of feminism (and I use the word feminism as a general term to implicate the empowerment of minority/repressed societies) emerged, creating windows for previously repressed artists of non Western backgrounds to produce work. Hitchens' culture is an integral element of his practice. He draws strongly on his Maori background to create pieces with poignant statements about society, history and culture.

History is referenced both in the history of his materials and the history of the locations in which his work is situated. For example, he has utilised in one of his works a log from a tree which floated down the river as a result of the Mount Tarawera eruption. The history of this material is an integral element of the work, and reflects the importance in Maori belief of tangata whenua, and ideas of iwi having a direct relationship to the land. He uses physical documentation of an integral element of the history of the whenua of NZ - the wood even had a burnt smell. Hitchens states Richard Long as one of his influences. A similar theme is evident in Long's work. With reference to the image below, Long has stated that the mud he uses is tidal - its history is that it was created by the moon interacting with the stones over centuries. This encourages the viewer to consider the life of the material prior to its positioning in the gallery, and the significance of this. He has also exhibited work whilst expressly pointing out that he arrived at the location empty handed, thus using local materials, although this is perhaps less in direct relation to culture than in the work of Hitchens.

Throwing Muddy Water, Richard Long, 1967

His culture is reflected in his use of materiality & site within the work. Many of his works directly reference the space they are situated in. This could be in situating work in the window of an art gallery, not quite inside but not outside, and considering 'the space between'. This references the atea of the marae, the place between the physical world and the spiritual.

Another of his pieces which directly combines elements of site, history and culture is his current project, situated in Resolution Drive, Hamilton. This references the HMS Resolution, a ship used by Cook on his voyages around the Pacific. Acknowledging this place name as a reference to the colonial history of the site, Hitchens uses his symbolism to map out stories & represent the Maori history of the land - he creates a new piece of art to keep old stories alive. This work can only exist at this site. He quotes Robert Smithson as a strong influence - he also uses local materials & creates works which are site specific.

Spiral Jetty by Robert Smithson, 1970

Interaction within his work again comments on culture, in his use of materials. A viewer might not expect a sculpture made from local land gathered materials to move, as technology is often assumed a part of Western as opposed to Maori design. Hitchens challenges this dated idea by surprising the viewer. He imposes interaction with his use of space within a gallery - the viewer must either walk directly through his work or make an effort to move around it. The eerie experience he creates reminded me of The Room with a Bird by Bundith Phunsombatlert, another work which forces direct interaction on the viewer and creates an unusual experience.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/3666254/Mud-mud-glorious-mud.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Resolution_(Cook)
http://www.listener.co.nz/issue/3648/artsbooks/15244/riding_the_lead_balloon.html

http://www.portlandart.net/archives/smithson_spiraljetty.jpg