What is this place?
a can’t believe it’s true?
a couldn’t have really happened?I di e died here.
I di e dead herea something horrendous?
a something unspeakable?
Hear that?Rumbling downunder.
Thundering upover.Feel that?
Quake. Quaking. Wake. Waking.
Anyone else finding it hard to breathe?
breath sharing breath
sharing breath
breath
breathe
This, is something else.
Something else, this is.
reaching to, a reaching from, a reaching from, a reaching to, reaching foward, reaching back
s t r e t c h i n g
re mber re e y e ember mem ry rem ber remem re memory remember rememberLayered upon
upon
upon
Yes, yes. It’s a University now.
What was it before?
Awaking. A waking.
Awakening.
A w a k e n.
I’m desperate to ask someone who’ll know.
Shit, out of luck in this tomb of a place.
I’m desperate to see someone who’ll know.
Mana whenua e, kai hea koutou? Kai hea tatou ma? 2Aglow with the faces of her mob, a Sister Lands.
E te tuahine3, what is this place? a can’t believe
it’s true? a couldn’t have really happened, a
something horrendous? a something
unspeakable?Ka mate nga tangata whenua i kōnei ne ha?4
Our stories the same but, not. Our stories the same. But. Not. Our stories the same. But. Not.
whisper, whispering whispers whisper, whispering whispers whisper, whispering whisperslove, loving the loves.
sad, sadding the sads.whisper, whispering whispers, whispering whispers, whispering whispers, whispering.
ears trembling with song.
mouth trembling with sing.bones jangling, jangle em bones
here/there / there/ here/ here/ hear
every where
Sista, do you really want to know?
Tell me.The walls of this building is mixed with the bones of the Original Peoples of this Land. The
walls of this building is mixed with the bones of the Original Peoples of this Land. The walls
of this building is mixed with the bones of the Original Peoples of this Land. The walls of this
building is mixed with the bones of the Original Peoples of this Land. The walls of this
building is mixed with the bones of the Original Peoples of this Land. The walls of this
building is mixed with the bones of the Original Peoples of this Land. The walls of this build.
Walls. Building. Bones. Peoples.
Building. Bones. Peoples.
Bones. Peoples.
Peoples bones.
And. We’ve. Been. Eating. In. Here.
here/ here
everywhereOurstoriesthesamebutnotOurstoriesthesamebutnotOurstoriesthesamebutnotOurStoriesthesa
Straya’s always nek level
me. Not. Ourstoriesthesame. Not. Ourstoriesthesame. Not. Our stories the same. Not. Our
Fair go, Kiwi’s no diff’rent mate.Storiesthesame. Our Stories the same.
Our. Stories. The.
Same.Auē! Auē! Taukiri ē! 5
Sister, I should have greeted you, Sister, I should have greeted you,
with hongi. with hongi.
Sister. You did.
Sister, I should have greeted
you with hongi.
My Sister. We did
1https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/39856/the-hongi. Authors note: Is not restricted to formal occasions.
2People of this land, where are you? Where is everyone?
3Sister.
4The peoples of this land died here, didn’t they?
5An exclamation of lament.
- 115: SPACE
with A Sometimes
114: NO THEME 13
with J Toledo & C Tse
113: INVISIBLE WALLS
with A Walker & D Disney
112: TREAT
with T Dearborn
111: BABY
with S Deo & L Ferney
110: POP!
with Z Frost & B Jessen
109: NO THEME 12
with C Maling & N Rhook
108: DEDICATION
with L Patterson & L Garcia-Dolnik
107: LIMINAL
with B Li
106: OPEN
with C Lowe & J Langdon
105: NO THEME 11
with E Grills & E Stewart
104: KIN
with E Shiosaki
103: AMBLE
with E Gomez and S Gory
102: GAME
with R Green and J Maxwell
101: NO THEME 10
with J Kinsella and J Leanne
100: BROWNFACE
with W S Dunn
99: SINGAPORE
with J Ip and A Pang
97 & 98: PROPAGANDA
with M Breeze and S Groth
96: NO THEME IX
with M Gill and J Thayil
95: EARTH
with M Takolander
94: BAYT
with Z Hashem Beck
93: PEACH
with L Van, G Mouratidis, L Toong
92: NO THEME VIII
with C Gaskin
91: MONSTER
with N Curnow
90: AFRICAN DIASPORA
with S Umar
89: DOMESTIC
with N Harkin
88: TRANSQUEER
with S Barnes and Q Eades
87: DIFFICULT
with O Schwartz & H Isemonger
86: NO THEME VII
with L Gorton
85: PHILIPPINES
with Mookie L and S Lua
84: SUBURBIA
with L Brown and N O'Reilly
83: MATHEMATICS
with F Hile
82: LAND
with J Stuart and J Gibian
81: NEW CARIBBEAN
with V Lucien
80: NO THEME VI
with J Beveridge
57.1: EKPHRASTIC
with C Atherton and P Hetherington
57: CONFESSION
with K Glastonbury
56: EXPLODE
with D Disney
55.1: DALIT / INDIGENOUS
with M Chakraborty and K MacCarter
55: FUTURE MACHINES
with Bella Li
54: NO THEME V
with F Wright and O Sakr
53.0: THE END
with P Brown
52.0: TOIL
with C Jenkins
51.1: UMAMI
with L Davies and Lifted Brow
51.0: TRANSTASMAN
with B Cassidy
50.0: NO THEME IV
with J Tranter
49.1: A BRITISH / IRISH
with M Hall and S Seita
49.0: OBSOLETE
with T Ryan
48.1: CANADA
with K MacCarter and S Rhodes
48.0: CONSTRAINT
with C Wakeling
47.0: COLLABORATION
with L Armand and H Lambert
46.1: MELBOURNE
with M Farrell
46.0: NO THEME III
with F Plunkett
45.0: SILENCE
with J Owen
44.0: GONDWANALAND
with D Motion
43.1: PUMPKIN
with K MacCarter
43.0: MASQUE
with A Vickery
42.0: NO THEME II
with G Ryan
41.1: RATBAGGERY
with D Hose
41.0: TRANSPACIFIC
with J Rowe and M Nardone
40.1: INDONESIA
with K MacCarter
40.0: INTERLOCUTOR
with L Hart
39.1: GIBBERBIRD
with S Gory
39.0: JACKPOT!
with S Wagan Watson
38.0: SYDNEY
with A Lorange
37.1: NEBRASKA
with S Whalen
37.0: NO THEME!
with A Wearne
36.0: ELECTRONICA
with J Jones