The Second Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art exhibition catalogue (APT2)

Pies Name/ (Our place) is a joint installation and performance piece by Anna Mel and Michael Mel. It speaks about and represents the West's idea of a fixed and seemingly constructed image of a non– Western culture. The message of Pies Name/ (Our place) is conveyed through the tradition of the Mogei culture of the Western Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. Materials include cordyline leaves, soil, grass, masks, paint, feathers and tree oil. Anna was born in 1961 in Yangoru in the East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea. She completed a Diploma in Secondary Teaching at the Goroka Campus of the University of Papua New Guinea. Anna has been actively involved in traditional performances in her own area, as well as the Mogei culture of the Western Highlands. During her recent sojourn in Australia she performed and promulgated the arts of Papua New Guinea. Michael was born in 1959 in Mount Hagen in the Western Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. He holds a Diploma in Secondary Teaching, a Bachelor of Education (specialising in Drama and Dance) and a Diploma in Humanities. He recently completed a PhD in Drama Education at Flinders University in South Australia. He is an accomplished performer of both traditional Papua New Guinean dance and drama and Western drama. Whilst in Australia he performed contemporary theatre, as well as performing and promoting the arts of Papua New Guinea. Michael grew up in Wila Village where he was exposed to the traditional beliefs and values of his community. It was a rich and vibrant culture which spoke eloquently of its nature through its life and ceremony. He experienced the elaborate Maka ceremonial exchange system of the Hagen area where large gifts of shell valuables and pigs were exchanged, as well as experiencing ceremonies marking birth, marriage, warfare and death. Pomp, finery of dress and body decoration were an integral part of each of these occasions. Traditionally Hageners decorated themselves for everyday affairs, but their traditional values have changed because of Western influence. These ceremonies and decorations are now restricted to cultural shows and other similar events. Self-decoration is a tradition that is an elemental and integral part of the life of a Hagener. It is a medium through which Hageners demonstrate their social and religious values. This approach is in contrast with the more tangible hewn and woven images which perform the same function in other Papua New Guinean cultures. Hageners do little carving, painting or mask making. Their art is expressed through the human body and is an exquisite art form of paint and plumage. These Michael Mel and Anna Mel live and work in Goroka, Papua New Guinea decorations and dances are also designed to impress spectators and other dancers. Ceremony and performance in Hagen culture is a temporary and transient affair. It does not exert and maintain superiority and lasting gain, but it is for the moment, an event which gives pleasure and pride and relates to social structure, history, economy and thought patterns. It functions in a social structure quite different to that of Western traditions. Pies Name/ (Our place) is a temporary and temporal affair and its setting is as fleeting as the performance itself.The real, tangible gains of such an event (somewhat paradoxical in its gallery setting) are the social and cultural relationships, the memories and recollections of images and personal experiences. Despite their deep commitment to their cultural identity, Anna and Michael are concerned about Papua New Guinean identity in the Western context. Is it conceived of as a changing and challenging identity in the modern world, or is it still categorised as some idealistic, exoti~, primitive entity? They wish to dispel the notion of Papua New Guinea as a continuing cultural tradition without change and to show the emergence of a new identity linked to the past which contains and elicits information, but also with the impetus to change. They do not wish to see non-Western cultures codified and compartmentalised, as is the preferred system of the West, but viewed intuitively and realistically, in the context of influence and change. A variety of interpretations is sought from their audience. Richard Cornish,Lecturer in Fine Arts, University of Papua New Guinea, Goroka Campus, Papua New Guinea Top and Bottom Headdresses from the Western Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea A RT I s T s: PA c I FI c I 117