NARASIRATO - WARATO'O
Jason Mayall
2-25 FEBRUARY 2012
Take a step back in time, to another world. But it's our time, our world.
Jason Mayall's photographic portraits of village life in the South Pacific
focus on NARASIRATO, a 16 piece bamboo band. The ensemble of Are'are
farmers and fishermen playing hand made instruments live in Oterama,
a remote jungle village at the end of a mangrove swamp off the lagoon
on Malaita in the Solomon Islands. Living a subsistence lifestyle close
to nature, the vibrant colours of their homeland and Melanesian culture
can be seen and heard in the images and through their music.
Jason travelled to their home in late 2011 to document their lives after
touring with the band in Europe and Japan. Whilst on tour NARASIRATO
recorded a full length studio album in Amsterdam. WARATO'O will be
released March 5th this year, to be followed by another set of dates
at major Australasian and European music festivals.
Their islands and the people face challenges which resonate with us all,
threatened by consumerism, rising sea levels, logging and climate change.
This is a fundraising exhibition and proceeds from artworks sold will help
towards the purchase of a boat for the village, giving them much needed
access to the wider world.
"WARATO'O is the truth, WARATO"O is love, friendship, power, WARATO'O
is working together, sincerity, WARATO'O is present, punctual, WARATO'O
is all these things and we live in that, when we play music, when we work
in the garden, when we do fishing, when we go hunting in the bush,
anything at all we have WARATO'O in us, and we live by that"
- Donation Manu'asi -
NARASIRATO - limited edition of 3 - framed in bamboo
Sepia toned hand coloured digital C-Type Lambda print sealed and mounted on 5mm foamex 114 x 76 cm
NARASIRATO PORTRAITS - set of 12 - limited edition of 3
CHARLES WAKIOU, JIMMY HO’ASIMARANA, WILLY AITAKARA, DANATION SUKARIA,
DAVID OHASIO, CHRISTINE RAUIASI, PETER HAHAU, CHRISTOPHER RAUHANUA,
CLAYTON ROHOIMAE, SIMON HOROTO, ANDREW MANERO’U, DONATION MANU’ASI
Sepia toned hand coloured digital C-Type Lambda print sealed and mounted on 3mm foamex 20 X 30cm
WEST ARE’ ARE LAGOON - limited edition of 10
Digital print on quality Fujifilm Crystal Archive paper 30 x 20cm
TA'ARUMARU - limited edition of 5
Digital C-Type Lambda print sealed and mounted on 5mm foamex 101 x 76cm
20th CENTURY. BEEN THERE DONE THAT - limited edition of 10
Digital print on 249gsm Matt Pro Paper, mounted on white 10mm foamex 75 x 50cm
WASHING UP - one off
Digital C-Type Lambda print 25 x 25cm
TOTORAHA - limited edition of 5
Digital C-Type Lambda print sealed and mounted on 5mm foamex 114 x 76cm
HORA'A - limited edition of 5
Digital C-Type Lambda print sealed and mounted on 5mm foamex 114 x 76cm
WARRIORS GUARDIANS OF THE RAINFOREST - limited edition of 10
Digital print on 249gsm Matt Pro Paper, mounted on white 10mm foamex 40 x 30cm
PET BIRD - limited edition of 10
WAIROKAY PORT ARE’ ARE LAGOON - limited edition of 10
Digital print on quality Fujifilm Crystal Archive paper 20 x 30cm