Pōhutukawa is the star in Matariki's cluster that holds the memories of the loved ones we have lost. A flowing connection to the past and our ancestors who have come before us - allowing us to sit in space of remembrance of those who have walked, navigated and lived for the pathway for us to continue. This work acts as a performative representation of acknowledgment of oral traditions - reflecting hand movements in Cook Island Ura that tell stories through dance. It extends movement as a structure of holding space for our ancestors to be present in the performance, embodying the performers who come before us. The hand movements of 'Tiare' (flower), 'Moana' (Ocean) and 'Aere Mai' (Come here) - commonly used gestures to represent beauty, fluidity and power of a woman. 

In reference to this work and title, Kauraka Kauraka was a Cook Island poet that deeply explains his connections to our ancestors and deities - his embedded understanding of the afterworld and the worlds between.

His poem, Rainbow Woman, reminded me of Papatūānuku, Mother Earth, and the interconnectedness of the heavens and the earth and the sense of longing for someone. Your Seven Heavens looks at the movements between gods, ancestors, elements and present storytelling - how we keep these alive to keep them in our minds.

Morgan Hogg, Installation shot of Your Seven Heavens, for Under the Stars, 2025, Bankstown Art Centre. Image by Dean Qiulin Li.