CATCHING SHADOWS: The Exhibition of Intangible Heritage of Oceania in Lisa Reihana’s in Pursuit of Venus [infected] By: Leanne Margaret Daly Girton College 30 August 2019 This dissertation is submitted for the Degree of Master of Philosophy Preface This dissertation is the result of my own work and includes nothing which is the outcome of work done in collaboration except where specifically indicated in the text. This dissertation does not exceed the word limit stipulated by the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Human, Social and Political Sciences. i Abstract Since the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2003 and the increased prevalence of decolonizing objectives in museums, curators have been faced with the challenge of how to exhibit intangible cultural heritage (ICH). Existing literature on ICH in museums is sparse and that which relates to exhibition technologies like film often focuses on audience effect rather than on content and context of the media or motivations/intentions of curators in their use. This research explores how curators utilize film to exhibit ICH in museums through the case study of Lisa Reihana’s in Pursuit of Venus [infected] (iPOVi). By tracking the creation and exhibition of iPOVi, especially through interviewing various curators of the artwork, it is clear that curators privilege film’s ability to represent complex aspects of culture, like ICH, and utilize the medium to engage with the decolonizing objectives of museums. It is ultimately how ICH characterizes every facet of iPOVi (the medium, content, and filmmaking and exhibition contexts) that allows it to bridge gaps in discourse surrounding material culture and ICH and exposes the potential for filmmaking to become a heritage process. ii Dedication Dedicated to Cecilia Maestranzi iii Acknowledgments First and foremost, I must thank my family and friends for their support always. I would like to recognize Lisa Reihana, not simply for her unparalleled contributions to the art world including the artwork at the heart of this dissertation, in Pursuit of Venus [infected], but for her encouragement with this research. This research hinged on the participation of expert curators who were extraordinarily helpful throughout the research process including Thomas Berghuis, Rendell McIntosh, Jason Ryle, Zara Stanhope, and Nicholas Thomas. For the opportunity to view reproductions of Les Sauvages de la Mer Pacifique, I would like to thank Rachel Cecil Gurney at de Gournay. Last but not least, I would like to thank Jody Joy, for prompting the initial idea for this dissertation topic and the help and encouragement that followed. iv Table of Contents Preface .............................................................................................................................................. i Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ii Dedication ...................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ v 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 2. The Role of Intangible Heritage .................................................................................................. 6 3. in Pursuit of Venus [infected] ...................................................................................................... 9 3.1 Les Sauvages de la Mer Pacifique ......................................................................................... 9 3.2 The Death of Captain Cook ................................................................................................. 11 4. The State of the Art ................................................................................................................... 13 4.1 Lisa Reihana and in Pursuit of Venus [infected] ................................................................. 13 4.2 Visual Anthropology, Material Culture and Museum Studies ............................................ 14 4.3 Digital Technology in Museums ......................................................................................... 16 5. Methods ..................................................................................................................................... 19 5.1 Levels of Study .................................................................................................................... 19 5.2 Data Collection .................................................................................................................... 19 5.3 Interviews ............................................................................................................................ 20 5.4 Data Processing and Limitations ......................................................................................... 21 6. Results and Analysis .................................................................................................................. 23 7. Discussion .................................................................................................................................. 30 7.1 The Panorama ...................................................................................................................... 30 7.2 Remediation ......................................................................................................................... 31 7.3 Filmmaking and Intangible Heritage ................................................................................... 33 8. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 36 Bibliography .................................................................................................................................. 37 Appendix 1: Interview Questions .................................................................................................. 43 Appendix 2: Discourse Analysis Codes ........................................................................................ 49 Appendix 3: Interview Transcripts ................................................................................................ 50 v List of Figures Fig. 1 Detail of in Pursuit of Venus [infected] (2015-2017), by Lisa Reihana. [Ultra HD, video, colour, 7.1 sound, 64 min.]. New Zealand at Venice, Creative New Zealand, NZ at Venice Patrons and Partners and Artprojects. Image courtesy of the artist. © Lisa Reihana Source: L. Reihana (2019, email communication, August 27) .................................................... 2 Fig. 2 Installation (Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, 21 September 2019 – 29 March 2020) of in Pursuit of Venus [infected] (2015-2017), by Lisa Reihana. [Ultra HD, video, colour, 7.1 sound, 64 min.]. New Zealand at Venice, Creative New Zealand, NZ at Venice Patrons and Partners and Artprojects. © Lisa Reihana; Photo by author ............................................................................. 4 Fig. 3 Heva tupapau ‘the costume of the chief mourner’ (18th Century), by Unknown. [Pearl shell, feathers, turtle shell, coconut shell, coconut fibre, barkcloth, pigments]. Exeter: Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery. © Peter Stephens Photography Available from: https://d1inegp6v2yuxm.cloudfront.net/royal- academy/image/upload/c_limit,cs_tinysrgb,dn_72,dpr_1.0,f_auto,fl_progressive.keep_iptc,w_95 0/mvhrgjsw7r7f5btr1vgc.jpg ........................................................................................................ 8 Fig. 4 The Chief Mourner scene detail from in Pursuit of Venus [infected] (2015-2017), by Lisa Reihana. [Ultra HD, video, colour, 7.1 sound, 64 min.]. New Zealand at Venice, Creative New Zealand, NZ at Venice Patrons and Partners and Artprojects. Image courtesy of the artist. © Lisa Reihana Source: Devenport (2017:109) ..................................................................................................... 8 Fig. 5 Detail of Les Sauvages de la Mer Pacifique (The Savages of the Pacific Ocean) (1804- 1805), by Joseph Dufour and Jean-Gabriel Charvet. [Woodblock print]. Wellington: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. CC0 Available from: https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/sites/default/files/styles/hero_image_1800x900/public/dufour_hero- 1800x700.jpg?itok=u6LGMfnp .................................................................................................. 10 Fig. 6 Framed Et in Arcadia ego (or Les Bergers d’Arcadie) (1638-1640), by Nicolas Poussin. [Oil on canvas]. Paris: Musée du Louvre. CC0 Photo (© Musée du Louvre, dist. RMN/Angèle Dequier) available from: http://cartelfr.louvre.fr/pub/fr/image/x200_76118_AD100890.jpg ........................................... 12 Fig. 7 Various offerings presented before taonga at Oceania (Royal Academy of Arts, London, 29 September – 10 December 2018) as part of the ‘AROHA in Action’ protest by the Pacific arts organization, Interisland Collective. Photos by author .............................................................