Gifts of civilization – Raewyn Atkinson

red clay, slip, stain, 2002
interior view, red clay, slip, stain
reverse view, red clay, slip, stain, 355x180x310mm, 2003
red clay, slip, oxide, 355x180x310mm, 2003
reverse view, red clay, slip, stain, 380x210x330mm, 2003
red clay, slip, stain, 380x210x330 mm, 2003
red clay, slip, oxide, stain, 345x190x320mm, 2003
red clay, slip, oxide, 345x290x220 mm, 2003
red clay, slip, oxide, 580x270x310mm, 2003
red clay, slip, oxide, 580x270x310mm, 2003
interior detail, red clay, slip, oxide, 580x270x310mm, 2003
red clay, slip, oxide, 570x230x240mm, 2003
red clay, slip, oxide, 570x230x240mm, 2003
interior detail, red clay, slip, oxide, 570x230x240mm, 2003
red clay, slip, stain, 420x220x 60mm, 2003
interior detail, red clay, slip, stain, 420x220x260mm, 2003
interior detail, red clay, slip, stain, 420x 220x260mm, 2003
red clay, slip, oxide, 640x260x300mm, 2003
interior detail, red clay, slip, oxide, 2003
red clay, slip, decals, 460x210x270 mm, 2003
red clay, slip, decals, 460x210x270 mm, 2003

Avid, Wellington, 2003

This series was inspired by a month long residency at the University of Manoa, Hawai’i in 2002. The traditional Hawai’ian bowl, the Poi vessel, used for food and religious ceremony, provided the inspiration for the form.

‘Gifts of Civilization’ is the term used by Captain Cook to describe the contact between Europeans and the native peoples his expeditions encountered. Hawai’ian history from the arrival of Captain James Cook with his exchange rates and his sailor’s diseases, to the annexation of Hawaii by US businessmen, provided rich imagery for the vessels in this exhibition. This includes the influence of the Freemasons, the power of the U.S dollar, the promotion of Hawai’i as a tourist destination, the proliferation of white stretch limos, and photographs celebrating the ‘melting pot’ of races.