Contribution short abstract:

My anthropological research methodology draws heavily on my photographic work, both within and beyond museums in Europe and Aotearoa New Zealand, as an alternative storytelling tool in collaboration with Māori experts, museum and archive professionals, and communities.

Contribution long abstract:

For many years, Māori specialists across Aotearoa New Zealand have sought greater access to information about taonga (Māori ancestral treasures) held in museums worldwide. Over the past 13 years, I have worked closely with Māori experts, as well as museum and archive professionals in Europe and Aotearoa New Zealand to develop an anthropological methodology that addresses these needs. Grounded in ‘Kia āta titiro, kia āta whakarongo ki ngā taonga: carefully looking at and listening to taonga’, this approach draws extensively on my photographic work, both within and beyond museum’s walls, as an alternative means of storytelling and collaborative work. While five percent of these images are accessible on my professional Instagram account, most are shared in intimate settings such as wānanga (learning session with a small group of people), one-on-one meetings, conferences, and publications. This paper illustrates how ‘unwriting with photography’ helps connect with people, collaborate in research, co-write, and transmit knowledge about the Māori art of taonga across time — past, present, and future — and space. It also demonstrates how Kia Āta Titiro! — Looking carefully and producing this body of photographic and analytic work — is rooted in the invaluable guidance and support of colleagues and friends. Rather than seeking definitive answers, thanks to this methodology, I now observe, listen carefully, and embark on extensive journeys, immersing myself and sharing mātauranga (knowledge) about the times, people and places where taonga originated or have since travelled to.