This morning, we walked part of Darcell Apelu’s Generation Exchange (Auckland), one of the performance works from Te Tuhi’s Share/Cheat/Unite, which traces the lineage of the artist’s paternal grandparents. This walk is the second part of Apelu’s Generation Exchange (Patea), which traced the lineage of her maternal grandparents.
Starting at bus stop 8276 in New Windsor Road at 6am, the determined group walked through some heavy rain and up and over Mt Roskill.
Movement, storytelling and uneven terrain kept us on our toes, with Darcell, leading and at times, disappearing.
The pilgrimage ended at the grave of Darcell’s paternal grandfather in Mangere Lawn Cemetery, with the artist, sharing the history of names and illnesses with us. We left with much to ponder.
Check out our coverage of a thoughtful exercise in performative genealogy.
We Should Practice 