He Ao Kotahi - One World Project
He Ao Kotahi shows how the art and culture of our indigenous cousins has evolved, and the lengths they go to ensure their art survives in the 21st century. We do this through the eyes and ears of prominent Maori artists who venture into worlds that are foreign but familiar. Our first He Ao Kotahi sees Master carver Katz Maihi travel to Palestine.
Katz Maihi; Ta Moko artist and Master Carver for Ngati Whatua, is told to grab his tattoo guns and chisels and then finds himself dropped bang into the middle of one of the most misunderstood regions in the Middle East: Israel and Palestine.
The intention is to share traditions, trade ideas and create art with other indigenous artists - what takes place is a mix of hilarity, heartbreak and a profound insight into the way colonisation, occupation and dominant cultural practice is pushing the most marginalised groups to the brink of extinction.
Katz Maihi is a larger than life character: humble and yet outspoken in his observations. Excited at the prospect of travelling to Israel, he left brimming with confidence and wasn’t disappointed on his arrival in Tel Aviv, meeting with Israeli artists and soaking up his surroundings. This was a place he had heard stories about all his life... and here he was... right in the middle of it. But he was not prepared for the physical and emotional depths he would plunge into when he travelled only a short distance to the occupied territories of the West Bank. Here, a whole new Katz was about to be born.
What was supposed to be a straight forward collaboration, turned out to be a life-changing experience for everyone involved. Katz was about to get schooled.
The concept for the documentary came about when I had spent the previous 10yrs travelling back and forth from the region on other projects. I was struck by the resilience of the Palestinian people, the everyday importance of their cultural traditions and most of all, the similarities with Maori in terms of their struggle for self-determination.
