Piha, New Zealand. 2026
3/8/26 - 13/8/26
Climate Zone: Subtropical
Transition zone: Coastal
Coordinates: 36.95459°S, 174.47440°E
Earthskin, Piha for 10 days in August, 2026, was my first residency in Aotearoa, New Zealand. No plane ride required! Earthskin is a permaculture gardens in Piha, in a beautiful setting with accomodation and a studio to work in and some very genuine and generous people who care for the gardens, adding to the overall magical experience.
My time at the residency was spent walking, and looking, taking in the coast but also the permaculture environment.
Firstly I set about visually documenting the immediate Piha coastal transition zone, with photography. These included the overall surroundings but with a focus on the traces left in the zone that give evidence as to how the area is occupied and used.
I also began picking up objects, mostly man-made detritus and the occasional natural object that I found on the beach. The Piha coast on appearance, looks to be relatively detritus free, but on closer inspection the plastic detritus is there, but in smaller, less visible, sizes.
The photographic documentation included the surroundings and the traces, but also the human signage with instructions that are necessary, to let us humans know how to behave, also an indication of how humans occupy these spaces.
Some of the small sculptures made out of the found objects.
Some of my daily drawings…
The Earthskin gardens themselves are a beautiful place to be hanging out in. There is a stream on the boundary and as a result of severe flooding from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023, a huge dumping of silt was brought to the area and consequently some large native trees died (mainly Pohutakawa). The earth has been allowed to recover in its own way here, and the growth of native plants now growing from seeds washed down from the surrounding hills, and the multitudes of regenerating tree seedlings surrounding each dead tree, was fascinating to see. It also regenerated some of my own feelings (in a positive way), about the flood from the same cyclone, that had also gone through my studio in Hawke’s Bay.
Tread Lightly. 2026. Found shoe sole and rocks by the boundary stream of Earthskin Gardens, Piha.
I hope to go back!
