Louise Potiki Bryant performs her latest work Tumutumu with Taonga Puoro played live by Richard Nunns and a recorded sound track by Paddy Free and Richard Nunns. The work also includes video design by Louise Potiki Bryant and Paddy Free.
The Tumutumu is a Taonga Puoro, a percussion instrument, which is made from various types of stone including pounamu, and other materials such as bone and wood. The tumutumu is common to southern New Zealand, used particularly in whare wananga (houses of learning) to accompany intoned learnings. Bryant's work takes inspiration from her relationship with a particular tumutumu made from Pohutukawa wood found on the West Coast.
Bryant presents her work as nine stages representing the cyclic nature of life, she titles as: Karanga, Letting Go - Part 1, Ipurangi/Birth, Becoming, Dying, Transforming, Shedding, Letting Go - Part 2 and Rebirth.
I have taken three of Bryant's workshops over the years, in which she taught aspects of her movement aesthetic that she describes as arising from Tāne-rore, the son of the sun, and Hineruhi, who ushers in the day at dawn. "Te Haka-a-Tānerore is the name for the shimmering of the air on a hot summer day. It is the mythical precursor for the wiri in dance and also of the poi." and Hineruhi "is the deification of the dawn light and the term ruhi which appears in her name may have some connection with Rūhī-terangi which is a small star that appears near Antares" (Charles Royal, 1998).
Bryant embodies Tane-rore and Hineruhi at different times through out her performance. Seeing her as Tane-rore makes me feel excited like when I discovered the character Starbuck from the sci-fi series Battlestar Galatica. These two women embody characteristics I wish to find within myself.
Bryant's performance appears other-worldly, with movement, lighting, set design and videography soundly bringing together the motif of the tumutumu.
I felt privileged to witness what seemed like such a deeply personal and spiritual journey. I believe it was the section titled Letting Go - Part 2, the oval video screen shows a Maori woman submerging from water up to her neck. She wipes the hair from face and performs a pukana. I couldn't describe how Bryant is moving in front of the screen at this moment however both video and movement seem like one. I found this moment intensely overwhelming (and had to cry to feel some sort of release).
After watching this performance I had a terrible sleep and have felt out of kilter all day. I realise I was a bit triggered by some memories of a Maori woman I used to know...I think perhaps the emotions surrounding the situation in which I knew this person are something I need to let go.
I apologise this review seems to be more about myself than Bryant's actual performance but I guess her performance made me reflect inwardly? I could try and describe the aesthetics and apparent meaning of each section however this performance is such a sensory experience I'm struggling to find the language to describe the movement and all that it entailed.
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