MO TE-UPOKO-O-TE IKA / FOR WELLINGTON

Perceval Press Dec. 2003
hardcover
10.5 x 6.5 inches, 96 pages
ISBN 0-9721436-8-8

Perceval Press: Mo Te Upoko-o-te-ika/For Wellington is a book to accompany the joint exhibitions currently on at Massey University and the Wellington City Gallery, in New Zealand. Photographer Viggo Mortensen says "I've seen and learned a great deal so far in that beautiful country, and am glad to have been able to return many of the images made during my time there and share them with the people of Aotearoa."

FACTS AND TIDBITS

 published along with Exhibitions in Wellington, New Zealand

 With a poem on the first page.

CONTENT:

COMMENTS:

EXCERPTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD AT THE FARTHEST OUTPOST MESSAGE BOARD

Morganna, posted: Dec 22, 2003
I'm never quite sure what to make of those abstract color and light ones. I always try to find pictures in them (Mana 2 I can see a horse's eye) or wonder where he took them. My favorites at the moment are the North series, especially North 2002 (the one printed on 2 pages) and the Hindsight ones (as always it seems) But my favorite par of the book is the poem. It left me with the feeling of someone travelling hopefully into the unknown and finding something unexpectedly wonderful.

Hellcat, Posted: Jan 18, 2004
(..) There were pictures in the exhibition that are not in the book and vice versa...
The big ones, printed on huge bannerlike canvasses are very impressive and in a room all together, there are some older pictures (Retiro, Wolvenbosch, Signlanguage, some of the LOTR related ones, some that were in Odense, but also lots of new ones taken this year in Denmark, America and NZ.
I can tell my fellow Odense pilgrims... we are in there!!!! (sort of anyway) Apart from the 2 Odense pics taken in the theatre that are in the book, there were 2 others, where you could see a bit more of the audience (..)
I love the intense blue colour of the Skjoldenaesholm pictures, on the exhibition prints it is even more intense than in the book.
"Learn mountain": That's what you do when you climb a mountain, you learn it, you never conquer it, climbing a mountain is of supreme indifference to the mountain, why should it care if some puny human gets to the top.
"get lost" YUP! And I love the photographs getting lost produced!
Photos... Kaitoke 11: Oh, yes the colours in that one definitely do it for me. The green of the fern and the deep purple of the background.
Mana and Mana 2: Very very slow and dreamlike the warm pink seems to enfold you, it's a complete contrast to the energy in Vigersted on the next page. (..)
Grendel and Lejre I like the composition of these two, the central bright streak with dark blue bands on either side. Would love to see them on a large scale, they'd work really well.
I like the deep blue in the Skjoldenaesholm series. Especially Skjoldenaesholm 11 and Skjoldenaesholm 3. The black ragged edge around Skjoldenaesholm 3 makes the trees on the centre look like a reflection on water which is a nice touch.
Going South and Going North -- These conjure up memories for me. My dad worked for the railways and I spent so many hours staring out of train windows. I love traveling on trains, you get to see the country, interact with those around you (both of which you don't get on a plane) I always get a sense of adventure traveling on trains and those photos bring back all those associations.
Nearly I'm sorry but this just looks like the inside of a studio set for Hidalgo.
Kapiti 6 My favourite photo in the book. I want to step into the photo. I love the streaks of light from the reflections of the pebbles. The way the movement of the camera has blurred the surface of the see into a mist. GAHHH... nope, must be a good girl, cannot afford another photo. (Even if it would look lovely below Leaving Christchurch.)
14 September 2003 What a tree!!! Love the way it's taken from within the tree's branches, looking out over the forest, you get a real sense of being within the forest from that perspective.

naja, posted: Jan 18, 2004
Hellcat, you are right I think the introduction specifically describes the experience of coming to NZ filming LOTR.
I do not like all the abstract ones myself, I like them more when the colors are stronger like the Skjoldenaesholm series, they worked well printed on the huge banners at the exhibition though... I'm pretty sure the Odense pics in the book were taken in the Magasinet theatre (which means that, technically, we are in them!)
I love Going North it reminds me of the train journey from Newcastle to Edinburgh.
All the NZ ones are special to me of course, as it turns out I purchased my best souvenir from NZ 2 years before I went there, it is my Lost 2 which has acquired a new depth for me since I have walked in the forest myself!

Habe, posted: Jan 30, 2004
The first time I read this poem (down the columns, left column to right column), I didn't get any special meaning. Which was great because it freed me to look at it in terms of its shape, and I love shape poems. Not only has great effort gone into the words chosen; the layout and appearance and the visual effect it has on the reader has been carefully considered and chosen too. I feel like I'm being given two treats for the price of one.
If you, like me, enjoy analysing and exploring words and images, there are more treats to come as there's so much more to investigate and imagine.

Have you tried reading it as pairs of words across the page?
Or line by line across?
Or all the top words then all the bottom words?
Or as stand alone pairs of words?
Or as three poems, each a column?
I even tried reading it diagonally at one point but got confused!

I didn't always get much meaning out of it but had a lot of fun and pleasure trying.
The second time I came to it, the meaning of describing Viggo's time in NZ and his feelings, the events that were important to him was so obvious it hit me like a hammer. My overall feel is of cosiness. My overall thoughts are of the striking and individual choice of landmark happenings to include. Leaving Henry behind is mentioned early, indeed it has to be as happened early, if the poem is a timeline. It's early mention, for me, makes that leaving a strong undercurrent to everything which follows.
As for the images, just how hard some of the abstract whirls grabbed my attention was a complete surprise. So was how little the second set of images engaged me.

Read the whole discussion here

CONTENT:

PHOTOS in the first part:

PHOTOS in the second part: