The wild and desolate beauty of Rakiura/Stewart Island will be on display at a photo exhibition at the Kauaeranga Valley Hall this October.
The 32-photo exhibition is the work of Keri Moyle, who spent a summer taking photographs for the Department of Conservation (DOC) more than a decade ago.
“They wanted pictures of people in the parks, so I spent all my time hunting for people with my big camera, but I also got a bunch of really cool photos as a bycatch,” she said.
“There was one that jumped out at me, not because it’s an awesome picture, but because it’s an interesting one. So, that’s where this all kind of started from.”
This was the seed of an idea which eventually developed into a photo book, Rakiura – Signs of Life.
The book is a study of the cycle of life and renewal, depicted through Keri’s time on the island.
Keri’s exhibition will feature framed prints of many of the images from her book.
It was the ideal time for a show like this, she said.
“A lot of people who work in this field or who care about the bush and the environment are tired and worn out,” she said.
“[And] the theme of the exhibition is kind of pertinent to conservation efforts everywhere.”
The final image of the book is really where the story starts. It shows seeds and foot-prints in the sand, following a dune spraying operation by DOC workers to remove the highly invasive marram grass.
“It was just this surreal experience. It’s massive sand dunes… there’s these guys wandering around in hazmat suits with spray gear, spraying everything bright blue,” Keri said.
“It was such an image of death.
“And then, after that, to come across this idea that there’s seeds in the sand… life is not just completely gone.”
The book begins, conversely, with the elements of the island – sand and water – growing through the pages to show baby birds, growing things, and eventually the signs of human intervention.
“I find this story so hopeful, and so simple, but very, very comforting,” Keri said.
“Ultimately the land will repair itself, because it’s alive… the land will come back.”
DETAILS: Grand opening October 9 at 5pm at the Kauaeranga Valley Hall. Open October 10-11, 10am-4pm. Free entry, refreshments with a koha. All prints will be for sale.
