'Ei Katu: An ethno-botanical project
 bergmangallery.co.ck/exhibitions/
Bergman Gallery 
Rarotonga, Cook Islands
​2017
Statement:
How we see place, how it has been marked and represented in a European context (notably contrasting an indigenous perspective), and how those aesthetics flow in and out of our current understanding and experience is at the centre of my practice.  
Shifting to the South Pacific has broadened my understanding of what ‘cultural practice’ means, specifically how the divergence of old and new ideas is often conflicted by the shifts and pressures of modern life.  For example the introduction of mass-produced materials or the inaccessibility of organic, or more traditional materials.  I am interested in the fluidity and complexity of connecting the past with the present.
Earlier projects in Rarotonga included looking at the introduction and collection of plants, animals and artefacts during the 18th century European voyages into the South Pacific.  The idea of cultural exchange, especially during those initial meetings essentially changed those places/people/cultures and environments forever.
Within the contemporary context of globalisation I consider the obvious fact that no part of the world is untouched by these influences.  Immigration, travel and technology all insist whether we approve or not, that we change.  That being said, the importance of past traditions defines not only a nations people but also the place itself.  
Images: Rarotonga markets, T.Forbes© 
Taking an ethno-botanical perspective, the project addresses the importance of connecting people and place through the cultural use and value of the plants around them – notably reflected in the islands head ’ei / ’ei katu making.
In Rarotonga, one cannot ignore the beauty and importance of the ’ei katu in the day-to-day adornment of women.  All around the island different styles of ’ei katu seem to represent not only the availability of fresh flowers and leaves at a particular time of year, but have also adapted to include an innovative use of artificial flowers.  Significantly, some women have created their own styles or have their favourite ’ei katu makers.  There seem to be ’ei katu for all occasions and the more I look into this practice inevitably, the more diverse it becomes. Every one of these ’ei katu has a story; it’s not a finished or conclusive project.
I began taking photographs and talking to women about their ’ei katu in 2015 and, like my ukulele project (2012) note that the style and methods are a hybrid between traditional methods and modern adaptations. Traditionally made from fresh flowers and leaves some of todays ‘ei katu may include plastic or fabric flowers creating long-life versions that may be used for traveling overseas or can be sold to the tourist market. 
While there are many talented ’ei katu makers in Rarotonga, the selection I have painted have  come from events and occasions I have encountered; for example one of the most recent paintings was an ’ei katu made by children in my daughters class at her emotional farewell assembly at Apii Te Uki Ou school.
The paintings attempt to document the beauty of the craft but also reference an old practice in a contemporary context.  Without the person, the paintings become ethno-botanical artefacts, abstracted by the empty headspace.  The final works are significantly tributes to both the makers and the beautiful women in the Cook Islands wearing them.  The show is also a tribute to this island - in my mind embodied in nature through the vibrancy of the ’ei katu.
May 2016
​
Giveaways:  The Ukulele Project
Bergman Gallery (formally Beachcomber Gallery / BCA)
Rarotonga, Cook Islands
​2012
Picture
Image: Tropical Almond Pl.1. T.Forbes ©
Statement:  
My first show in Rarotonga, Takeaways was predominantly concerned with the barter between the indigenous Pacific Islanders and the early European voyagers; specifically the taking away and leaving behind of certain objects/plants and animals in the South Pacific.  Giveaways continues with the idea of historical introductions within both nature and culture, this time focusing on the the very current ukuklele icon and creating a project that attempts to re-position it as an artefact of both cultural and historical value in the making.   After designing 3 sets of ukulele (referencing their musical origins in Portugal, Hawaii and Tahiti) I worked with an Atiuan craftsman (neighbour and friend) to make 6 in the 'Polynesian style' using 3 different native timbers.  The works act in reflection illustrating the plant of the timber but also demonstrating the shift in perception though the shift in use, materials and context.
Image: Tropical Almond Pl.2. T.Forbes ©
The painted and burnt wooden pairs illustrate the contemporary adaptation and traditional origins of the ukulele story in the Cook Islands.  The works question how we value culture and nature and how those values shift over time influenced by tourism and globalization for example.  The practice of art and craft in the Pacific, while generally considered to be valuable as 'souvenirs' is still hugely significant in representing the time, place and people making them.  The ukulele in this show were not available for sale as instruments, but rather presented as museum artefacts available only as limited edition prints.
In addition to the exhibition I commissioned 10 coconut ukuleles made (which I painted) for Apii Te Uki Ou Schools music department.  The show included a performance.
Images: Walking home, craftsman Teau in Titikaveka, learning to draw with heat, Apii Te Uki Ou school uke blessing, Bergman Gallery installation Rarotonga 2012, T.Forbes ©
Takeaways : Give & Take in the South Pacific
Bergman Gallery
Rarotonga, Cook Islands
2011
Images above & below: T.Forbes ©
Statement:
​For the last decade I've been looking at the empirical practices of botanical and natural history illustration.  Within this field is an interest in the process of collection, identification, introduction (of flora and fauna) and the consequential appropriation which was tied into many of the early Pacific explorations. Over the last few years I have been focused on the environmental perception of place and specifically, the aesthetic histories that have shaped that perception.  Takeaways is predominantly concerned with the early barter between the indigenous Pacific islanders and those aboard the European exploration vessels. Specifically the taking away and leaving behind of certain things as discussed previously.  Some of these are conscious introductions and other accidental - like the ship rat.  The show draws attention to both cultural and ecological  exchange and how the value of both indigenous culture and indigenous nature (flora & fauna) was regarded - or significantly disregarded at the time.
Once left or taken these items are also removed of their original context, becoming transient - or without purpose, people or place. For example, the Tongan fertility statue painted on an English side plate or a Catholic rosary painted on a Cook Island mother-of-pearl shell intends to express the absurdity of exchange.  These important cultural items (re-represented directly from items in  Cook's collection from the South Pacific 1769-71) were effectively 'served up' as curiosities to the European audience at the time in both Museum display cases and illustrated reproductions. Inevitability their importance, culturally, spiritually, practically and ecologically is also, in part, lost, in effect becoming something else -  misappropriated, disrespected and in the ecological sense naively overlooked.  The consequences of this, in a present day context are still being addressed. For example the effects of introduced species on native flora and fauna, and the repatriation of cultural artefacts to the Pacific Islands from European museums.